How To Train Your Dragon 2 - AU
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: A rewrite of the second film that takes place in the "I'm Your Brother!" AU, where Hiccup and Heather are brother and sister. Requested by...many, many people.
1. Chapter 1

***peaks out from underneath sofa***

 **Hello...**

 ***hides back underneath sofa again looking mysterious***

 **...I know I said I wouldn't do this for a long time, but...**

 ***jumps out of from underneath sofa* *snaps fingers* *disco ball drops from ceiling* *rope holding disco ball snaps* disco ball shatters against floor* *angry shouting in background***

 **Oops...*stares at disco ball sadly* Um... *brushes pieces of disco ball under couch with foot to hide my failure* Heh heh...um...*clears through* *cough cough* _Aaawwwkkkwwarrrddd_... **

**BUT SERIOUSLY! I got too many ideas for this AU and I just couldn't wait for "a long time" to do it! The ideas were KILLING me! SO NOW YOU GUYS GET IT EARLY. I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY! No, seriously, I really do hope you guys are happy. :)**

 **Anyways...yeah. I'm just going to stand here and...watch over the remains of my disco ball while trying to look cool...or hide from my angry neighbors...yep, definitely hide from my angry neighbors. XD Sorry, I'm so random. :D Enjoy chapter 1! :D *runs off***

* * *

 _This, is Berk. The best kept secret this side of...well...anywhere. Granted, it doesn't look like much, but this wet heap of rock packs more than a few surprises…_

"Yeah!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut whooped in unison, swiping a sheep away from Snotlout with grace like a cat - like a cat that had just been dumped into a barrel of water and was scrambling to get out as fast as cat-ly possible.

"Hey!" Snotlout shouted in protest, but the twins and their Zippleback were already long gone. "Come on, Hookfang! That sheep was mine!"

Hookfang grumbled and followed Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

 _Life here is amazing, just not to the faint of heart. See, while most people enjoy hobbies such as drawing, or needlepoint, we Berkians, and Berserkers, enjoy a little something we like to call...Dragon racing!_

"Wheeeeeeeha!" Astrid cheered. She passed Snotlout easily on Stormfly, making a break for the twins and their sheep. Stormfly turned upside down, snatched the sheep from Barf and Belch's claws, and sped onwards as if she did it every day. "Ah ha!" Astrid cheered.

"HEY!" the twins and Snotlout protested. "THAT SHEEP WAS MINE!"

Astrid smirked and spun overhead, holding the sheep just out of their grasp. She was enjoying teasing them _way_ too much for her own good. "And NOW," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "it's MINE!"

 _You see, dragons used to be a bit of a problem...but that was five years ago. Now they've all moved in! And really, why wouldn't they? We have custom stables...all-you-can-eat feeding stations...a full service dragon wash...even top-of-the-line fire prevention if I do say so myself._

Astrid swooped low towards the crowd, swung upwards, and slammed her sheep into her blue basket. The crowd cheered. Snotlout and the twins shouted in annoyance. Fishlegs came towards the baskets, Meatlug carrying a sheep of her own. They were just about to drop it in, when-

"WINDSHEAR, SPINESHOT!" Heather shouted from across the sky, and her dragon obeyed, spines flying in Fishlegs' direction. Fishlegs gasped and screeched, and Meatlug dropped the sheep in shock. Just before it fell in the bucket, Windshear grasped it in her claws, and shoved it into her own basket.

"Oh, YES!" Heather cheered.

 _That, is my sister, Heather the Superior. I totally came up with that name...okay, no I didn't, but it really makes no difference either way. She also just so happens to be the Chief of the Berserker tribe. She's been Chief for two years, and quite honestly, she's done a great job of it. Thanks to her, the Berkians and Berserkers have been at peace._

Heather dropped the sheep into the basket, laughing to herself. She loved dragon races. She loved them to death. She was competitive, naturally, especially when it came to her friends. Astrid was competitive, Hiccup was at least a _little_ bit competitive, and Snotlout and the twins were beyond a _doubt_ competitive, and Fishlegs…

Practically everyone Heather knew was competitive.

She wondered where Hiccup was. She and the other Berserkers had arrived earlier that morning to renew the peace treaty, and like they always did before renewing it, they had a dragon race, but so far, there had been no sign of her brother.

She wondered where he was. According to Stoick, there had been no sign of him since morning, and that thought alone worried Heather, although she said nothing out loud. Stoick didn't seem very concerned about it, so naturally, Heather wasn't, either.

Worried, but not concerned. That was what she was.

Then, she heard the horn: the horn she had heard whenever they had dragon races during the Peace Treaty renewals. The horn that meant-

"The black sheep!" Astrid gasped. She patted Stormfly's neck. "Come on, Stormfly!" she said. "We can still win this thing!"

Stormfly chirped in agreement and doubled back around. Heather smiled mischievously. "Come on, Windshear," she said. "Let's get her."

Windshear nodded and bolted after Astrid and Stormfly. Behind them, Heather could hear the shriek of Fishlegs, followed by a _THUMP_ and the crowd going "Ooooooh!" in unison. Heather wasn't concerned very much. Snotlout was very violent, and the Berkians and Berserkers were used to it by now.

They learned to live with the violent people.

Heather wore face paint much like Hiccup's: two streaks underneath her eyes. Except, her face paint was silver, like the color of Windshear's scales. It was Hiccup's idea for her paint to be silver, and he even added powdered granite to her face paint to give it a sparkle.

Ah, she loved her brother. He was amazing.

But enough said. It was time for her to win this dragon race.

The black sheep shot into the air, right in front of Astrid. Heather mentally calculated her moves; she could swoop in underneath Stormfly and snatch the sheep. Windshear was faster than Stormfly. It would be simple.

Heather smiled.

"Up! Up up up up up!" Astrid chanted, urging Stormfly on.

Heather smirked even bigger, shaking her head. _Not today,_ she thought silently to herself.

Just before Astrid grabbed it, Windshear swooped underneath Stormfly and trapped the sheep in her strong yet gentle claws. Heather laughed and whooped. "Aha!" Heather cheered. "Come on, Windshear! Let's finish this thing!"

Windshear growled in agreement and shot downwards, towards the baskets. Then, out of no where, Snotlout's shout of "THAT SHEEP IS MINE!" met her ears, and the next thing she knew, the sheep was no longer in Windshear's grip.

Heather mentally scolded herself. She shouldn't have been so careless. She was going to _kill_ Snotlout.

She turned around, just in time to watch as Snotlout - her more-than-just-idiot of a cousin - threw the sheep to Ruffnut, calling out, "Here ya go, babe!" as he went. "Mine's worth TEN!" he bragged.

 _Oh my Thor,_ Heather mentally groaned.

"Oh, cool!" Ruffnut gasped. "The black sheep!"

Naturally, the first thing the twins did when they had the key to winning the entire race, was fight over it. Tuffnut grabbed it, yanking on it, and Ruffnut held firm. "Nu-uh!" Ruffnut said, jerking it in her direction. "This sheep is mine!"

"But half of it rightfully belongs to me!" Tuffnut said, jerking it back towards himself. "Remember!? Half a sheep is half the original amount of points, and since this one's worth ten, it means that we both get - um - seven points! See? That's even more than ten!"

Heather was just about to react, maybe to steal the sheep from them, but then, Astrid beat her to it. The Hofferson girl leapt off Stormfly's back and onto the Zippleback's while her Nadder flew underneath. Astrid snatched the black sheep, whooped, "YEHA!" and landed back on Stormfly's back once more.

It all happened so quickly that Heather didn't even have time to try and stop her. Stormfly and Astrid shot back towards the baskets, Stormfly spun upside down, and the sheep was accounted to Astrid's points.

All around them, people - Berkians and Berserks alike - began cheering. Stoick jumped up from his chair and beamed. "Aha!" he said. "That's eighteen! Astrid takes the game!" Beside him, Spitelout groaned, and Stoick punched his shoulder. "See that?" Stoick bragged. "THAT'S my future daughter in law!"

Heather smiled. It wasn't the first time her father called Astrid that. Heather even teased Astrid once by calling her "future sister in law", and Astrid simply laughed and told her to stop eating so much fish right before bed.

Once the crowds died down, Heather landed Windshear on the platform and began approaching her father, wiping the racing paint off her face as she went. "Hey, Dad!" she called.

Stoick looked up at her and beamed. "Hello, Heather!" he said. He clapped her on the shoulder, probably a lot harder than he intended to, because she nearly tumbled off the platform, laughing all the same. "That was quite some show you put on!" Stoick congratulated.

"Thanks, Dad," Heather said. "I was wondering where Hiccup was."

Stoick's smile faded into a frown, and he sighed. "Lad's been gone all day," he said. "It would be just like Hiccup to forget you were coming back today."

"Oh, it's alright," Heather said. "It just means I'll have to find him and give him a good slugging for not being here." She smashed her balled fist into her palm, grinning mischievously.

Astrid stepped up behind Heather, her hands on her hips. "And I'll help you," she said. "Hiccup can always use a good slugging here and there to keep him on his toes."

Heather grinned. "Lucky him only having five," she said as she mounted Windshear.

Astrid laughed, jumping on Stormfly's back. "True that," she agreed. "Come on. Let's go find Hiccup."

Heather nodded, and the dragons launched themselves into the sky.

Heather smiled.

It was good to be home.

 _Yep. Berk is pretty much perfect. All of my hard work has paid off. And it's a good thing, too, because with vikings on the backs of dragons, the world just got a whole lot bigger._


	2. Chapter 2

**HEY, GUYS! So, I hope you all enjoy this...*gestures wildly to story*...thing I have created. I find it interesting that I can type down a few digits on a computer, and then you guys can read the digits, and make out the story, create a mental picture in your head...reading is AMAZING! I don't know what this world would be like without reading.**

 **Just a little randomness to go with my random personality. :D Shout-outs, because you guys are amazing. :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. :D**

 **ParagonNight666: Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy it. :D**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Yeah, I agree! Heather is AMAZING! :D Thanks! :D**

 **thearizona: Hahahahaha! Why do all the pretty girls want to hit him...XD But you're right, though! They _do_ want to hit him, don't they? XD **

**HappyPup1: TAKE COVER! *jumps under couch and puts hands over head* AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

 **LunarCatNinja: I'm glad! It makes me so happy. :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: YYYEEEEESSSS! I am so pumped up about writing this right now! I can't believe it! :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LiviLovesDragon: Being a HTTYD fanatic makes everything more exciting. Like, I hear something new about Race to the Edge, and I'm just "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Someone reviews my story and I'm like "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" :D Thank you SO MUCH for your reviews! I hope this story meets your expectations. :D**

 **BraveDragonof214: Awww, thank you so much! :D**

 **Drew Luczynski: Get the coffins, haha. :D I'm glad you like the story so far. :D**

 **hiccupandtoothless294: *fist bump* AHA! BOOYAH! :D**

 **Dria Haddock II: I'm glad! It makes me happy to hear that. :D**

 **Toothless801: *hands you box of a dozen doughnuts* LET'S DO THIS THING! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! :D :D :D I'm glad I'm not the only random person out there. Lots of my friends are REALLY, REALLY random. :P And they get it from me...Exhibit A and a half! *points to self* Thanks for reviewing! Yeah...Hiccup _does_ need a good slugging. Slug him, Astrid and Heather. :D :D :D**

 **Carly Marley: AAAAAAAAAAAAHH! *jumps on bookshelf to hide* AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

 **neobendium: Yeeeeesssssss...**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks for letting me know about that typo. I fixed it. :D**

 **Silver Electricity: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!**

 **Guest (#2): Whoa! Okay, I'm updating! :D**

 **Mylittlefangirlworld: Oh yeah. _Soooooo_ much trouble. XD **

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless shot over the ocean, the water rippling below them. Salt water splashed in his face, and he ignored it. His mask helped him do that. That was the main reason he wore a mask.

Thunderdrums rose out of the water, bounding through it like dolphins. Toothless maneuvered himself around them and over them, and when one of them raised its wing, Hiccup twisted his prosthetic, and Toothless barrel rolled underneath it and shot into the sky, his wings pounding against the air.

Toothless spun upwards as he and Hiccup had done so many times, navigating himself through the clouds with expertise only a dragon and one who rode a dragon would know. Hiccup kept his eyes focused on the sky at all times, content and relaxed.

He loved flying more than any other activity in the world. Flying was something special. The feeling of the wind in his hair, knowing that the sky was endless, enjoying the marvelous thrill of flight on his best friend's back with the reassurance that Toothless would never drop him.

Flying was amazing.

Toothless flew upside down for a brief moment, letting his wings rest, and then, just like that, he spun back and shot downwards. He arched back up, leveling out and keeping his wings spread as much as possible, letting the updrafts keep him floating on a bed of air.

"What do you think, bud?" Hiccup asked, panting briefly. He patted Toothless' neck to get the dragon's attention. "You wanna give this another shot?" Hiccup questioned.

Toothless' ears went up, and then, they went flat against his head again as he growled.

Hiccup knew how much the dragon hated his invention, but it didn't bother him. It was a trick question anyway; Hiccup would give it a shot whether Toothless approved of it or not.

"Tooth _less!"_ Hiccup groaned. "It'll be fine!" He switched the gears on Toothless' tail fin and rolled his shoulders, trying to stay relaxed. He wasn't worried about his invention not working. From the minute he did the first drafts of his flight suit, Toothless always caught him when he fell. If he did it before, he would do it again.

"Ready?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless growled, cooing lowly, almost as though he were saying _Noooooooo_.

Well, it didn't matter. It was a trick question anyway.

Hiccup shut his eyes, and leaned over the side of Toothless. He slid off the Night Fury's back effortlessly, and plummeted towards the ocean with a whoop of half fear and half excitement.

This was brilliant.

Toothless turned and fell alongside him. Now that they were in the middle of the practice of Hiccup's invention, the Night Fury seemed a bit more...calm. Hiccup laughed giddily. "Yeah!" he said.

Toothless tilted his head and let his tongue flop out of his mouth. Hiccup smiled briefly, and then looked back down at the ocean.

He slid his hands into the straps, waited until they were tight around his wrists, and then pulled them open. He was jerked back into the air, the leather wings of his flight suit opening around the same time Toothless let his own wings unfurl.

And then, they were gliding peacefully across the sky. Hiccup loved this. It was amazing. Everything about this was amazing. Everything about _dragons_ was amazing. Everything about _flying_ was amazing.

Toothless fired plasma blasts beneath him, and the heat kept Hiccup airborne, with the help of the updrafts. Hiccup laughed again; he couldn't help it. He enjoyed this _so much_.

"This is _AMAZING_!" he shouted.

In front of him, the clouds parted, and a sea stack came into view. It was rocky and jagged; not the best place to crash into without a doubt. "NO LONGER AMAZING," Hiccup said, mostly to himself. " _TOOTHLESS!"_

He always knew Toothless would catch him, but that really didn't make it any less unsettling. He could still crash, and he could still die. Those two things were always possibilities.

At the very last second, Toothless blasted the rocks just ahead of Hiccup, and then wrapped his wings around his rider, ducking his head. They flew through the smoke, debris and pebbles from the peak raining down around them. Toothless finally emerged from the cloud of dust, just to be flung into the trees of a neighborhooding peak. He rolled down the uneven terrain, coming to rest all at once on a small plateau near the edge of the cliff.

Toothless opened his wings, and Hiccup stood up, shaking his head back and forth to the and knock the nauseating, dizzy feeling out of his system. That, was _not_ one of their better landings. Hiccup turned the gear on his prosthetic, switching it from flying mode to walking mode, and then began stowing the man-made leather wings.

"Whoo," he breathed, still running on adrenaline from their flight. " _That_ really came out of _no where_."

He heard crashing behind him, and he turned around in time to watch as the entire sea stack crumpled into the ocean. Hiccup gave it one last look, and then shrugged. It wasn't the first time they'd knocked down a sea stack. Hopefully nobody missed it.

Toothless grumbled in annoyance. HIccup ignored him. "We've _really_ gotta work on your solo gliding there, bud," Hiccup commented, laughing quietly to himself. "That, um, locked-up tail makes for some _pretty sloppy_ rescue maneuvers, eh?"

He heard Toothless complain again behind him, but at this point, his eyes were fixated on the stretch of land before him. He took off his helmet and continued looking forward.

It wasn't just _any_ stretch of land, but a _new_ stretch of land. A stretch of land Hiccup had never seen before. His eyes brightened in excitement, and his lips curved into a smile.

"Oh," he said in awe as he surveyed the terrain. "Looks like we've found another one, bud."

Hiccup expected Toothless to be happy, but instead, the Night Fury flicked a pebble at him. It hit the back of Hiccup's head, not heavy enough to cause him pain, but enough to get his attention. He wiped his head around in his dragon's direction.

"Oh, what?" Hiccup asked. "You want an apology?" Toothless grumbled again, and Hiccup approached him. "Is that why you're pouting, big baby boo?" he mocked.

Toothless cooed noises that sounded very much like _blah blah blah,_ and Hiccup could imagine the dragon imitating him in just another way of getting on his nerves. "Well," Hiccup said, "try _this_ on!"

He dropped his helmet, his arms snaking around Toothless' neck. He tried wrestling the dragon, and he failed, but that was alright with him. He was just goofing off anyway.

"Ooooh, ya feeling it yet? Huh?" Hiccup asked. "Picking up on all of my heartfelt remorse?"

Instead of replying, Toothless stood up on his hind legs and strode towards the edge of the cliff. Hiccup sighed, his arms locking around Toothless' neck. "Oh, come on, come on," Hiccup groaned. "Yeah-yeah, you wouldn't hurt a...one legged-" Hiccup looked down, and it was then that he realized Toothless was swinging him directly over the side of the cliff. "AH!" Hiccup yelped, clinging to Toothless even tighter. He could hear the water splashing against sharp rocks beneath him, and he realized that falling down there wouldn't be very fun.

Toothless chortled deep in his throat.

"Ooh, okay!" Hiccup said, finally giving up and letting his one leg and prosthetic dangle. "You're right! You're right! You win! You win!"

Toothless laughed again and flung himself backwards. Hiccup gasped again, and then began laughing when Toothless flipped himself over, pinning Hiccup down underneath his body.

"He's down!" Hiccup said, letting himself flop against the ground. Toothless batted him, and Hiccup lifted his head, grabbing Toothless' front leg. "Oh, and it's ugly!" He said. "Dragons and vikings - gah - enemies again!" Toothless batted at him and swatted at him like a cat, and Hiccup tried in vain to defend himself. "Locked - in combat to the bitter - OOOOH." Toothless flopped his head down on Hiccup's chest, cutting the boy off and pinning his upper body to the ground. For a few moments, Hiccup just laid there, powerless against his dragon.

And then, Toothless started licking him.

"Gaaaaaaagh!" Hiccup groaned, shoving his dragon off of him. Toothless finally stepped away, and as soon as he did, Hiccup scrambled to his feet, glaring at his dragon angrily. "You _know_ that doesn't wash out!" Hiccup said, trying in vain to wipe spit off his face.

Toothless laughed again. Hiccup flicked his hands, flinging Toothless' spit onto the dragon's face. Toothless shook his head feverishly and glared harshly at his rider, but Hiccup was, once again, ignoring the dragon.

He looked back at the land they had discovered and quickly took out his map. He unfolded every page carefully, being ginger with the parchment and ensuring he didn't rip it even a little bit. He took another piece of paper out of the stash he kept buckled to his arm, had Toothless lick the back side of it, and then, Hiccup stuck the new addition of their map to the other pieces.

He sharpened his charcoal with his dagger, set the writing utensil between his teeth, and opened his compass. After determining just where exactly this new land was located, he took the pencil out of his mouth.

"So…" Hiccup said. "What should we name it?"

Toothless scratched at his armpit.

"'Itchy Armpit' it is," Hiccup decided, quickly writing down their new discovery on the blank paper he had attached to his map.

"Whaddya reckon, bud?" Hiccup asked as he continued drawing, looking up every now and then to make sure he was getting accurate detail. "Think we might find a few Timberjacks in those woods? The odd Whispering Death or two in the rocks?" He shrugged. "Who knows...maybe we'll...finally track down another Night Fury."

He turned his head, looking directly at his best friend. Then, he sat back from his worn. "Wouldn't that be somethin'."

The mood went from happy to down in a matter of seconds, so, Hiccup decided to lighten it again. "So whaddya say?" he asked. "Just keep going?"

Toothless narrowed his eyes at their newly documented Itchy Armpit, and cooed _Mnnnnnooooooo_ , as clear as though he were literally talking.

Hiccup sighed.

They'd have to explore some other time, then.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys!**

 **So...I just really feel like telling you all something...I don't even know why, but I do. I just have to say first off that I struggle. I struggle a lot in my life for reasons I don't even fully know. If you guys are wondering why I sometimes write depressing scenes in fanfictions, or have a fanfiction where a character breaks down crying, it's because that's how I feel. I feel like that a lot of the time, and like I said, I don't know why.**

 **So I just wanted you all to know how much your encouragements really mean to me, because I struggle a lot. A lot. Just mentally, I feel like my mind is always spinning a thousand miles an hour. But you guys...well, you guys are amazing, and I never really think I ever told you just how much you guys mean to me. Your encouragements make an impact in my life, and I just want to make sure you guys know that.**

 **Like I said, I don't know why I'm suddenly telling you all...I guess I just thought you should know. So...thanks. I really can't emphasize that enough. :) So, on with the shout-outs:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Yeah, this scene's gonna be fun. :D**

 **thearizona: Awesome! Thanks! I'm glad you think I'm writing it in a detailed, easy-to-comprehend fashion. Sometimes I struggle with that in writing. It's great to know I'm doing a good job. Thanks! :D**

 **LiviLovesDragons: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D :D Yeah, I know what you mean about being a huge HTTYD fanatic and everyone thinks your crazy. :P I have some friends, and then one of them said, "Oh, this day is perfect!" and the other friend INSTANTLY perked up and said, "WHEN SOMETHING LOOKS TO PERFECT, IT PROBABLY SUCKS!" and I gave them a BIG high-five. XD Thanks for the review! I'm glad you love the story so far. :D**

 **Hiccup4eva: I don't think that's going to happen right now, but maybe in a future story. :)**

 **BraveDragonof214: "I'm just speaking the immortal words of the almighty Thor: 'When something looks too perfect, it probably, SUCKS!'" XD XD XD I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding! Thank you so much for that encouragement. :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: I'm glad, because I like progress, too! It's fun. :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: There should be a little bit of all three of those options in this story! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: I know, right? I love it! :D**

 **ParagonNight666: That is SO cool! :D I bought the complete HTTYD2 soundtrack, so now, whenever I write a scene, I play the music that goes along in that scene, and it makes writing so much funner. :D**

 **Martyn: Are you _threatening_ me? "You better write me back this time"? Listen, if you weren't a guest, I would have gotten back to you A LONG time ago, but since you are a guest reviewer, you don't have PM, so the only way I can actually communicate with you is through shout-outs, which I don't always do, and when I do do them, you don't always review on that chapter. I have had your story request written down ever since the first day you gave it to me. Did you read the request rules on my profile? If not, I would suggest reading them. I'm not ignoring you. Quite frankly, though, you could have approached it a little bit differently. I don't know when I'll write your request, okay? I honestly don't know when. I struggle with mental depression sometimes, and I only write what I feel like writing. I don't write because people ask me to or demand me to. I write because it's something that I enjoy and also something that other people enjoy reading. The minute I feel pressured, I'll just stop writing. If I get around to a request and do it for someone, that's great, but it's not really because someone requested it and I don't want to make them mad. It's because I enjoy it. I mean this all in the nicest way possible. I'm not mad at you. I have your request written down in my "Current Fanfiction Requests" notebook, and I've had it there since you first requested it. Please cut me some slack. I need it. I struggle with depression a lot of the time. That's one of the main reasons I write. I will do your request, so don't worry, but I'm not making any promises on to when I do it. I hope I didn't come across sounding like a snob. Right now, I'm just...a lot of things. So, I'm sorry. I have your request dialed down. :)**

 **Drew Luczynski: I know what you mean, but I also loved this scene with Hiccup and Toothless, seeing how their bond got even stronger. :) This chapter is the chapter with Hiccup and Astrid. I love Hiccstrid. I really, really, really do. I love it so much. :D**

 **ForteEXEMaster: I kind of sort of know what you mean, but I really loved last chapter. Maybe it wasn't necessary for this particular story, but since it is a rewriting of HTTYD2, I wanted to keep that scene in there, because I loved it. I loved that scene so much. And yes, the scene where Valka meets Hiccup and Heather...I'll have fun writing that. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **neobendium: *dodges the axe* Whoa! *throws an update at you* THERE! XD Haha. :D**

 **TheChanceyColborn: Haha, thanks so much! :D**

 **Dria Haddock II: THE SLLLLLLLLUUUUUUGGGGINGGGGGGGG...! :D :D :D HAHA, thanks for the review! :D**

 **Ultimateblack: Haha, read the movie, watch the fanfiction...LOL. :D I'm glad you liked that I kept this scene in here. Some others thought it was weird for me to add it, but I loved it too much to leave out. I know what you mean, it _IS_ like my favorite scene in HTTYD2. That, and where Hiccup and Valka are flying together...oh, and when Hiccup kisses Astrid in the end...oh, and when...ugh. I love ALL the movie! :D **

**Toothless801: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D I love being random. *puts on duckbill* RAnDOm. Yeah, randomness river dances in my family, too. :D :D :D Haha, my brothers are really random, too. My older brother ran up behind me one day and grabbed me and swung me around shouting, "I GOT YOU, I GOT YOU, HAHAHA! THIS TIME I GOT YOU!" and I was just cackling. :P I have so many random family stories that I could never even write them all down. So, so random...XD And I KNOW! I love Toothless SOOO much! I was a bit disappointed by how Toothless was presented in Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, because they made him more like a pet than a friend, but in Race to the Edge, they totally NAILED it! My favorite part in the first episode with Toothless would probably have to be when Hiccup said, "It's just an empty cage, bud," and then a bird flew out of it. Toothless just sort of looked at Hiccup like "oh yeah right" and Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Okay, NOW it's an empty cage." XD**

* * *

As soon as Heather and Astrid caught sight of Hiccup and Toothless, after searching for him for nearly an hour, Heather's eyes brightened. Hiccup and Toothless were sitting at the edge of the cliff, looking over the land ahead of them intently.

Intently to the point where they hadn't noticed they were being watched.

Heather glanced at Astrid. "I'll sneak up on him," she said. "It'll be a nice surprise for him if he really _did_ forget that the Berserkers and I were coming today."

Astrid smiled and nodded in agreement, telling Stormfly to remain airborne while Windshear soared towards the ground. The silver dragon landed silently, a good ten feet away from Hiccup and Toothless.

Heather snuck towards her brother slowly, keeping her hands outstretched. She always loved doing this, every single time she found Hiccup before he found her. She would sneak up on him, sometimes jump scare him, and other times simply hide his eyes with her hands until he guessed who she was.

The first time she did it, he'd slapped her in the face by accident, and although it hurt a lot, Heather still thought it was worth it, because it was so funny to watch Hiccup flush bright pink and stutter apologies for over an hour.

When she finally got close enough so that she was standing directly behind him, she covered his eyes with her hands. He stiffened, but she supposed he was used to being spooked by people now.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Let me guess. Um...Astrid?"

Heather smirked. "Guess again," she said plainly. Her voice would give it away. She knew that much.

Hiccup stiffened again, but this time, he stood up, jerked away from her, spun around, and met her eyes. "Heather!?" he shouted, his eyes going wide.

Heather spread her hands. "Yeah," she said. "Who were you expecting? Snotlout?" She smirked.

Hiccup laughed. "Heather!" he said, and she and him both captured each other in a tight embrace. They only saw each other once every six (sometimes seven, or sometimes five) months, when the Berserkers came back to renew their peace treaty. Seeing one another was a special treat.

Hiccup was taller than she was now by a long shot. When they first met nearly five years ago, they'd been about the same height, and when they realized that they were brother and sister nearly two years ago, Hiccup had been about an inch or so taller than her, but now, he was about a fist and a half taller than she was.

He hadn't changed that much. His freckles were a tad less noticeable, and he was more mature with deeper, softer, wiser green eyes that beamed with adulthood, but other than that, he was still the same reckless Hiccup she knew back when they were younger.

At length, Hiccup pulled back. "It's so great to see you again!" he said. "What are you doing here?"

Heather smirked. So he really _had_ forgotten. "Oh, you know, not much," she said. "Just...renewing a peace treaty is all. No big deal."

Hiccup blinked twice, his smile not fading. " _What?"_ he asked. Then, his smile curved into a frown, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, oh oh oh, that's right, oh," he groaned, and Heather laughed softly. He was so funny when he was frustrated. He pulled his hand back from his face. "I'm sorry, Heather, I completely forgot."

Heather shrugged. "Hey, it's no big deal," she said. "Besides, it was kind of fun hunting you down. Except now-" She knocked her fist into her palm, "you are going to get a good slugging. Me and Astrid have already decided on it."

Hiccup grabbed her in a playful headlock. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, tousling her hair. She pulled away from him and punched his forearm.

Toothless got up and bounded towards Windshear, around the same time Stormfly landed and Astrid dismounted. Astrid said a quick "hello" to Toothless, and then continued walking towards Hiccup. "Hey, Hiccup," she said.

Hiccup nodded and smiled in her direction. "Afternoon, milady," he said. Astrid stood beside Heather, both of them looking at Hiccup. "What have you two been doing?"

"Oh, you know," Astrid said. "Being amazing, winning races, Heather kicked Snotlout's behind in that dragon race...the real question is, what have _you_ been doing?"

The happiness vanished from Hiccup's eyes, and Heather couldn't help but wonder why. Her brother was normally such a happy and energetic person that seeing him upset was upsetting.

"Avoiding my Dad," he said, shaking his head slowly.

 _Oh._ Heather sighed. "Oh no," she murmured under her breath.

"What happened _now?"_ Astrid asked.

Ever since Heather became Chief of the Berserkers, Stoick had been, according to Hiccup, talking to his son about training to become Chief of Berk. Hiccup told Heather once that it annoyed him to no end, and sometimes, he would actually end up avoiding their father just to avoid the subject.

Heather understood that, really, she did, but at the same time, she didn't know why Hiccup didn't want to become the leader of the Berkians. She, so far, had been enjoying her occupation as Chief of Berserk. The people of Berserk were trying at times, but it was nothing Heather couldn't handle.

"Oh," Hiccup said, "you're gonna love this." He broke off into a very officiant story-teller voice, and Heather and Astrid watched his every move. "I wake up, the sun is shining, Terrible Terrors are singing on the rooftop…"

"Sounds good so far," Heather commented.

"Oh, _this_ is the good part," Hiccup went on. "I saunter down to breakfast, thinking all is right with the world, and I get-" Hiccup then deepened his voice and added a thick accent to it, exaggerating every word he spoke. "'Son,'" he said, and Heather knew in a heartbeat that he was imitating their father, "'we need to TALK.'"

Hiccup put his hand up, and Astrid cut in in a voice that sounded too high pitched and nasally to belong to her. "'Not now, Dad,'" she mocked, "'I've gotta whole day of _goofing off_ to get started.'"

Heather laughed at Astrid's impersonation of her brother, and Hiccup did the same.

"Okay," Hiccup said, "first of all...I-I don't sound like that, who - _what_ is this character? And _second…_ " He gestured to Astrid. "What is that thing you're doing with my shoulders?"

Astrid rolled her shoulders loosely, her face pinched with mock seriousness. Heather smiled. "Hey, she's got your personality down, Hiccup," Heather said.

"That's a truly flattering impersonation, Astrid," Hiccup says, and although sarcasm was heavy in his words, he was smiling. "Anyway, he goes: 'You're the pride of Berk, son.'" Hiccup marched around Astrid and Heather, his face beyond hilarious. "'And I couldn't be prouder.'" He pounded his chest twice with his fist, being as dramatic as possible.

"'Naw, thanks, Dad!'" Astrid said in the nasally tone once again. "'I'm pretty impressed with myself, too!'"

Hiccup and Heather both burst into laughter. "When-when have I _ever_ ," Hiccup began, "done that with my hands?" As he spoke, he did the exact same thing with his hands.

"You _just did!"_ Astrid chortled.

"No offense, Hiccup," Heather said, "but you do that a lot."

Hiccup scowled. "Okay, both of you," he said. "Just hold-" He put his hand on Astrid's head, "still." He put his hand on Heather's head. "Okay? I'm very serious," he said to the both of them, and they nodded in unison.

Hiccup didn't _look_ "very serious" on any account, but Heather knew that one of the ways he was "very serious" was by goofing around, because he didn't like being super serious about anything. He didn't like putting people down with seriousness, so he kept situations light as much as possible.

He stepped away from his sister and girlfriend. "'You're all grown up,'" he said, still imitating his father, although it was less exaggerated now, "'and since no Chief could ask for a better successor, I've decided-'"

Astrid gasped. "TO MAKE YOU CHIEF!" she blurted excitedly. "Oh my gods! Hiccup, that's AMAZING!" She punched him hard in the stomach, Hiccup's fin to his dragon flight suit popped out, and he scowled while she broke out in laughter once again.

Heather couldn't help but be shocked. Sure, she had always known it was bound to happen, but by the way Hiccup was talking, he made it sound as though Stoick wanted to do it... _today_. Or tomorrow.

But, the more Heather thought about it, the more sense it made. Doing it today would have been a great idea. Renew the peace treaty between the Berserkers, and then have a new Chief of Berk appointed. It made perfect sense.

"That's incredible, Hiccup!" Heather congratulated.

Before any of them had the chance to say anything else, Windshear, Toothless, and Stormfly bounded past them, knocking them into each other and to the ground, Hiccup getting pinned beneath Astrid and Heather. They got off him quickly, and Hiccup rolled over on his back again. "Yeah," he said, "so...this is what I'm dealing with."

Astrid offered him her hand, which he took, and she hoisted him to his feet, brushing off his shoulders for whatever reason.

"What did you tell him?" Heather asked. Hiccup glanced at her, his expression unreadable. She looked back at him, confused. "It's exciting, Hiccup! You must have said _something_."

"Actually, I didn't," Hiccup admitted. "By the time he turned around, I was _gone_."

Heather was hit with the realization. _That's_ where Hiccup went that morning. Their father brought up becoming Chief, and Hiccup bolted. Heather always knew Hiccup was lackadaisical when it came to leading the whole of Berk, but...at the same time...

Astrid sighed. "Huh," she said. "Well, it's a lot of responsibility. The map will have to wait, for sure, and...I'll need to fly Toothless, since you'll be too busy…"

She must have realized what she just said, because then, she turned back to Hiccup. Heather stepped up beside her, looking at her brother worriedly, not able to find the words. He suddenly looked...different, without any sense of fooling around or happiness in his face. He looked…

Disappointed. Not in his father for shoving this on him so quickly, but disappointed in himself, for reasons Heather didn't know and decided she needed to find out.

"What's wrong, Hiccup?" Heather asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't you think it's great?"

Hiccup shook his head. "It's not me, Heather," he said. "All those speeches, and planning, and running the village...that's... _his_ thing."

He looked lost. Truly, one hundred percent lost. He looked at Heather and gestured to her. "And it's your thing, too," he said. "You do a great job of leading the Berserkers, and you enjoy it."

Heather couldn't argue. She did enjoy it, and, not to brag, she _did_ do a good job of it, too.

"I think you're missing the point," Astrid said. "I mean, _Chief,_ Hiccup." She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. _"Chief_. What an _honor_. I'd be pretty excited."

Hiccup sighed heavily. "I'm...I'm not like you guys," he said. "You...you know _exactly_ who you are, Astrid. You always have. And Heather...you've found your calling. You're a leader, like Dad. But...me? No, I'm still looking." He headed towards the edge of the cliff again, looking over his shoulder at the girls as he spoke. "I know I'm not my father," he said, "and...I never _met_ my mother...so what does that make me?"

He sank to the ground at the cliff's edge, twiddling his charcoal between his fingers. Astrid stepped towards him, and Heather did the same after another moment. Astrid sank down on his right side, and Heather sat on his left, overlooking the terrain for just a minute before looking back at her brother.

Astrid began twisting Hiccup's hair, doing a second braid right next to the first one she had put into his hair. "What you're looking for isn't out there, Hiccup," Astrid said. She put her hand on his chest, right where his heart was. "It's in here. Maybe you just don't see it yet."

She kissed his cheek, recoiling in disgust a moment later, muttering something along the lines of, "Did Toothless _lick_ your face _again_?"

Hiccup, however, had his eyes fixated on the land ahead of them. "Maybe," he said, "but, you know...there _is_ something out there."

Just as he spoke, Heather looked to see if she could spot what he was talking about, and when she did, she gasped.

"Hiccup…" Astrid sighed, shaking her head.

"No, seriously, Astrid," Heather said. "Look."

Hiccup grabbed Astrid's chin and lifted her head. Astrid squinted at a swirl of dark colors, trying to make out what it was.

"Is that _smoke?"_ she asked in disbelief.

"I think it is," Hiccup nodded. "Come on. Let's check it out."


	4. Chapter 4

**GUYS! GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS! I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT RACE TO THE EDGE!**

 **Okay, so, THEY RELEASED THE TITLES TO THE NEXT THIRTEEN EPISODES. I REPEAT, THEY RELEASED THE TITLES FOR THE NEXT THIRTEEN EPISODES! AND HERE THEY ARE! :D **

**Team Astrid  
Night of the Hunters, Part 1  
Night of the Hunters, Part 2  
Bad Moon Rising  
Snotlout Gets the Axe  
The Zippleback Experience  
Snow Way Out  
Edge of Disaster, Part 1  
Edge of Disaster, Part 1  
Shock and Awe  
A Time to Skrill  
Maces and Talons, Part 1  
Maces and Talons, Part 2**

 **OMGOSH, GUYS, I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED! LET ME KNOW IF YOU ALL FEEL THE SAME WAY! :D :D :D Shout-outs:**

 **Carly Marley: Haha, that's cool! :D**

 **Ultimateblack: Thanks! Except I think I'm going to put Heather with Hiccup when they meet their mother...I think I am slowly, very very slowly, starting to ship Heathet (Eret and Heather). I was just thinking...AGH, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!? THIS SHIP HAS SAILED. I CAN'T STOP IT! HELP ME! XD**

 **LiviLovesDragons: Thanks so much! I'm glad you're liking it so far! It makes me happy to know that people are enjoying this. :D :D :D**

 **BraveDragonof214: Thanks, Brave. Prayers mean a lot. And I'll keep you in my prayers, too. I know, normally I hide whatever I'm feeling behind my goofiness, and sometimes, I'm just plain goofy, but...yeah. You know how it is. Thanks a bunch. :)**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Thanks! Yeah, I liked writing that. :)**

 **hiccupandtoothless294: INCONCLUSIVE? AAAHHHHHHHHH!**

 **HappyPup1: OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

 **ParagonNight666: Thanks! It makes me happy to hear that I did a good job with Heather. Yeah, it's a little tricky adding a character in a rewriting of an already established plot without making that character the main character, so it's good to know I did good. :) Dragon Cake...hahaha! I like that term. I'll have to use it sometime...if you don't mind. :) I know what you mean! I'm a total geek for HTTYD. I love it too much for my own good. :P**

 **One-Crazed-Up-Dragon: Thanks! Yeah, that line totally belonged to Astrid. I love Hiccstrid, and the line wouldn't have worked very well with Heather...it was so much sweeter to have Astrid say it, I agree. Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy it so far. :)**

 **Toothless801: Yeah, thick process, growing up, high school...I hear ya. It's relieving, knowing that some people can relate to me and I know I'm not the only one who feels depressed sometimes...so...thanks. And I know that feeling where you just need to...need to...*explodes* *punches* *mounts llama and explodes while punching* *randomness intensifies* Yeah. Yeah, random. I know, siblings are AMAZING. I love all my siblings. :) I'm thinking about writing a little in-between series, like what happened in between Heather becoming Chief and this HTTYD2 rewrite. What do you think? :)**

 **Drew Luczynski: FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSS. :D**

 **thearizona: Well, randomness is SUPPOSED to be random and awkward! I am so awkward it's almost not funny. When there's a weird silence between my friends, I randomly shout "WHO LIKES POTATOES!?" and the next thing you know it we have a huge conversation about potatoes. :D And thanks for liking the chapter! :D**

 **neobendium: *waves* You're welcome! :D**

 **Carly Marley: OH NOOOO! NOT THE MINIONS! *runs away* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D :D :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Thanks, Sil! I like writing about Heather in this story. :D**

* * *

Windshear, Toothless, and Stormfly glided over burned trees, charred black and destroyed, some of them even reduced to ashes. Heather couldn't help but gasp at the sight that laid before her, around her, and behind her as well. The vegetation was gone, leaving the land black and crisp and burnt. It might never be habitable for people or animals ever again.

Only a few words flashed through Heather's mind, as she continued examining the black landscape:

 _What did this?_

She didn't have the slightest idea. The air smelled stale and thick, almost like charcoal and a fireplace. The smoke still hung in the air, making it hard to breathe. Windshear flanked Toothless and Stormfly, flying in between the two dragons and their riders.

They came to a small hill on the dark terrain, and once they flew over it, Heather found herself gasping all over again.

There was a large, white and blue hunk of ice - and even that was an estimate. Jagged pieces were strewn out of it like a lion's mane, some of them short and some of them long. Solid white with hints of blue. It looked so sturdy that Heather was certain even Toothless would have a hard time blasting it down. It would take _at least_ a hundred plasma blasts before it was down completely.

"Whoa," Hiccup breathed from beside her. The dragons came to a screeching halt in mid-air, roaring and growling at the structure of ice that laid before them. It was such a contrast to the black, ruined forest they had just passed, and Heather found herself whispering "Whoa" around the same time Hiccup did.

Hiccup turned around, glancing at Astrid and Heather. He looked just as confused as Heather felt, and at the same time, worried as well. "Stay close," he told them, and then, he sped on with Toothless, Windshear and Stormfly following them closely.

They circled the spikes of ice, glancing nervously around it. Heather couldn't help but notice pieces of splintered wood caught in the midst of the ice...almost as if the ice had sliced straight through the wood. There was a ship, completely wrecked by five spines of ice that shot straight through it.

Heather paled and hoped they wouldn't find any corpses. With damage like this, she would have been surprised if they found any survivors. If this was an attack, no one would have been able to survive it.

Unless the attacker wasn't going for the kill, but that just seemed odd. Who would attack and desolate ships without a reason? Heather didn't know who.

Heather heard Toothless growl, and when she looked at what he was looking at, she saw a large footprint in the ground. It was big enough to be a swimming pool for five - maybe six - Monstrous Nightmares.

And, by the looks of it, it was also fresh…

"Hiccup, look!" Astrid gasped quietly, and Heather and her brother instantly looked in the direction Astrid was pointing. Just as they did so, a collective shout of "FIRE!" cut through the air, followed by a random bola shooting straight in their direction.

"LOOK OUT!" Hiccup shouted. Windshear shot spines at the net, and Toothless fired a single plasma blast, but there were more coming, and they were coming fast.

Hiccup dodged one, and it went for Heather. Heather moved out of the way of it, just in time, but then…

"AHH!"

The bola hit Stormfly, pinning the dragon's wings to her side. Astrid shrieked, getting thrown from her dragon's back as Stormfly plummeted towards the land below them.

Heather was about to scream at someone to help her, but she didn't even need to. Toothless swooped towards the falling girl and grabbed her by her leg. With that done, Heather looked back and watched helplessly as Stormfly hit the ground.

Almost as soon as the Nadder was down, men jumped out from nowhere and began tying her. Heather's blood boiled with rage. They were trying to take Astrid's dragon, and for what reason, Heather didn't know, but she was going to make sure they didn't get what they wanted.

And apparently, Hiccup felt the same way about it, because he swooped downwards on Toothless, and Windshear followed the Night Fury.

"STOP!" Hiccup demanded as they neared the captured dragon and her captors.

"Stormfly!" Astrid shouted as soon as Toothless set her down. Toothless and Windshear hit the ground, their riders jumping off their backs as soon as possible. Men approached them, and Hiccup drew his flaming sword, swishing it back and forth threateningly.

Hiccup had shown Heather his new invention (which he called "Inferno") during their last peace treaty signing, and since then, Heather was always fascinated by how the weapon worked.

The men who had once been charging at them stopped, staring at Inferno's fire-lit blade with awe. Astrid grabbed a small, sword-length wooden plank off the ground and held it warningly. Even with a stick, she looked dangerous. Heather took out her double-sided axe and spun it like a ninja.

One of them men, one who was tying Stormfly's horns, gasped. "Soil my britches," he said, rising to his full height, stepping on Stormfly's back. "That _is_ a Night Fury!" the man gasped. He nudged one of his companions. "Thought they were all gone for good!" he said.

 _What does he mean by that?_ Heather wondered. She knew there were no more Night Furies left besides Toothless, but if this man knew that as well, he must have done a lot of traveling. He must have seen a lot of dragons, or else he wouldn't have been surprised by seeing a Night Fury. He must have known a lot about dragons, or else he probably wouldn't have known that Night Furies even existed.

All the more reason to get rid of him, when the time came.

"Looks like our luck's had a turn for the better, lads!" the man continued. "Don't think Drago has one of _those_ in his dragon army."

Astrid made a face. "Dragon army?" she repeated in disgust.

"What are you talking about?" Heather snapped.

Hiccup looked at them, and then looked back at the men. "Look, we don't want any trouble," he said honestly.

The man laughed. "Ha!" he said. "You should've thought of that before you stole all of our dragons, and BLASTED OUR FORT TO BITS!" He gestured wildly to the ice spikes around them and the splintered wood.

"Yeah, look at it!" another one of them men agreed.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Astrid asked in clear disbelief, repeating exactly what Heather had just gasped.

Heather was wondering the same thing. What _were_ these men talking about? "You had better speak up!" she said threateningly when no one replied.

Hiccup stepped forward, obviously trying to give her the silent message not to attack. "You think _we_ did _this?"_ he asked. He sounded just as angry as Heather expected him to be. Of course, no one liked to be wrongly accused. Even a sweet, kind person like Hiccup.

The man laughed again, sarcasm obvious. "Ha," he said yet a second time. "Dragon trapping is hard enough work as it is, without _do-gooder_ Dragon Riders sneaking in to rescue them!"

So the men were Dragon Trappers, then. Heather supposed that made sense. They definitely looked properly equipped to do something like that, and they were professional by how quickly they tied down Stormfly.

"What do-gooder-" Hiccup began, but then, his voice cut off abruptly. "There are _other_ Dragon Riders?" he asked. He retracted Inferno's fiery blade, probably in hopes that by looking less menacing, these trappers would tell him what he wanted to know.

Heather took a few moments to think. _Other_ dragon riders? Besides the Berkians and Berserkers? That just sounded _weird..._ but here was the evidence, right in front of them. The destroyed fort was no accident. Someone had told a very large, very powerful dragon to do this.

But why?

"You mean," the trapper went on, "other than your thieving friend from last night?" He jabbed his finger at Hiccup. "You tell me. You may have an ice spitting dragon on your side...but we still have a quota to fill. How do you suppose we explain all this mess to Drago Bludvist?"

"Drago _what-fist?"_ Hiccup said, laughing quietly. "Does _anything_ you say make sense?" he asked, doing the exact same thing with his hands that he told Astrid he never did.

The trapper opened his mouth, but another one spoke up. "He's expecting a new shipment of dragons for his army by tomorrow," the low-voiced, short trapper spoke.

Another taller one stepped up. "And Drago don't take well to excuses." His voice sounded thick and clogged, almost as though he were congested.

The head trapped pulled down his sleeve, exposing a large, red scar on his shoulder and upper left chest. " _This_ is what he gave me the last time I showed up empty handed," he said darkly.

Hiccup, Astrid and Heather exchanged disgusted glances. What kind of horrible person would _do_ something like that?

He pulled his sleeve back over his scar. "He promised to be far less understanding in the future," he said.

Hiccup growled under his breath, just loud enough for Heather to hear. "Look, we don't know anything about a dragon thief, or...an 'ice spitting' dragon…"

The trapper suddenly nodded, but Heather didn't know what. She heard something crunch...was it a signal? A secret signal for his men to attack? She held her axe tighter, ready for battle if it came to it.

"Or, your lunatic boss and his dragon army, okay?" Hiccup finished. "Just give us back _our_ dragon, and we'll go, strange, hostile person whom we've _never_ met."

The trapper shook his head. "Oh, where are my manners?" he said. "Ha, I'm Eret." He bowed, but Heather could see him hiding something behind his back. "Son of Eret." He swung his arm, and his sword was drawn in his hand. Heather stiffened. "Finest dragon trapper alive!" Eret went on. "After all...it's not just _anyone_ who can capture a Night Fury."

Toothless roared in outrage.

"And this is Toothless," Hiccup said, calmly although there was an edge to his voice that Heather didn't fail to notice. "He says we're going. _Now_."

Eret laughed again. "They all say that," he said. "RUSH 'EM, LADS!"

Trappers attacked from all directions, and Heather swung at them with her axe, disarming them and knocking some of them unconscious. Toothless fired at a large icicle, and it fell in front of more dragon trappers and kept them back. They exclaimed something Heather couldn't make out and sprang backwards.

Hiccup drew Inferno once again, and Heather and he worked together to cut the ropes trapping Stormfly. The Nadder was freed almost instantly, and Astrid whistled to her. "Stormfly!" she shouted. "C'mon! Go!" She leapt onto her dragon's back, Heather mounted Windshear, and Hiccup jumped on Toothless' back as well. "Go! Go!"

They shot into the sky, arrows and bolas still being fired up at them. Heather felt the rush of adrenaline wearing off, just slightly. _That was way too close,_ she thought to herself.

"YOU WILL _NEVER_ HOLD ON TO THOSE DRAGONS!" Eret shouted from the ice below them. Hiccup, Heather, and Astrid looked back one last time. "YOU HEAR ME!?" Eret screamed. "DRAGO IS COMING FOR THEM _ALL!"_

"Come on," Hiccup said shakily. "Let's get out of here."


	5. Chapter 5

**Good day, Dragonites! How are you all doing today? I hope you're doing well, because I know I am! I get to UPDATE! Whoooooooooo! :D Shout-outs:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Yeah, Eret isn't exactly my favorite character the first half of the movie, either. I like him later on, though. :)**

 **HappyPup1: AAAAAHHHH! *ducks* *runs* *jumps over couch* RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!**

 **Rogue Dragon Rider: Thanks! Yeah, I think Heather needs a little bit more credit than she's given. I'm glad we got to see her again in Race to the Edge. That was cool. I hope we see her in more future episodes. I love Heather. :)**

 **ParagonNight666: *lifts defibrillators* CLEAR! Yeah, I know what you mean! I wish she was mentioned at least ONCE. But I guess they really couldn't do that, because then people who hadn't seen Race to the Edge or any of the other TV series episodes would be like "Who the heck is Heather?" But yeah, I wish someone at least mentioned her. You haven't seen Race to the Edge yet!? Okay, I'm not going to spoil anything, but IT. IS. AMAZING! The animation is spectacular compared to the first series' animation, and the plotlines are better for the episodes in my opinion. I'm laughing a lot harder at the jokes made in the season, too. You have to see it. You won't be disappointed. :)**

 **hiccupandtoothless294: OOOOOH YEAH! THE WAREDRAGON EPISODE, EEEEEEEEEKKKKKK! :D**

 **BraveDragonof214: Cllooooooossseeerrrr! :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! :D**

 **LiviLovesDragons: I KNOW! I'm not gonna make it to December...I'm hoping something happens in "Snotlout Gets the Axe" where Snotlout does something stupid that ends up getting Hiccup hurt and Astrid gets really, really, really REALLY mad at Snotlout. That's just what I'm hoping. XD**

 **Martyn: Dragon version of Tarzan? AWESOME. Yeah, and I'm sorry if I came across as harsh in the last shout-out. I've been trying to think of some way to let you know that I will do your idea, and I guess I've had a hard week, and...well, I'm sorry. And thank you for apologizing, too. It means a lot. :D**

 **Fall With Me Off A Clift** **: There's a great website called berksgrapevine, and I get all my updates of Race to the Edge from there. It's really an awesome site. I can't wait for the next 13 episodes! I'm not gonna make it to December...XD**

 **GuardianDragon98: I know! I'm starting to ship Heather and Eret BIG TIME. BIIIIIGGG TIME! Oh no...THIS SHIP HAS SAILED. THERE IS NO GOING BACK! *sinks into sea of feels* AAAAAAAAHHH! :D And thanks for what you said in your review for chapter 3, about admiring my work and being there for me...it means a lot to me, so thanks. :D**

 **Ultimateblack: Yeah, not much changed there. There will be bits and pieces of the dialogue changed, just with some of Heather's lines, but other than that, I don't think there will be many dialogue changes. I'm trying to think up some ideas to make the plot a bit more interesting, and I think I have the opportunity to do it in later chapters. But no spoilers yet. :)**

 **LunarCatNinja: Trrrruuuuuuuueeee! Berserk and Berkians, working together against Drago's army! AWESOME! :D**

 **neobendium: HERE IS YOUR UPDATE! :D**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: WOW THAT WAS A LOT OF CAPITAL LETTERS! I WANT TO YELL, TOO! :D :D :D Thanks for the encouragements, fellow Dragonite! (I will never get tired of saying that, XD). It's great to hear from ya again, and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: Thank you so much! It means a lot! :D**

 **Toothless801: Llamas, are, COOL! :D LLAMAS AND CAMELS! AWESOME! AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME RAAAANNNNDDDDOOOMMMNNNEEESSSSS! :D And I think I will write that in between story when I finish this one...it should be fun! :D As for a major change in plotline, I'm trying to think of something to change. I think I already have an idea brewing in the back of my mind...he he he...eh. :) And the randomness continues. :D And you're lucky to have just made it before the Race to the Edge episodes were taken off YouTube! I LOVE the new season SO MUCH! It's INCREDIBLE! I'm glad you got a chance to see it! :D**

* * *

Snotlout flew over Gothi's hut, followed by Fishlegs and the twins. Hookfang's sudden appearance startled Gothi's flock of Terrible Terrors, who scrambled in all directions. When they finally came back to land, Snotlout swooped back and scared them again. Gothi grunted at the rider of the Monstrous Nightmare, shaking her fist at him angrily.

"Ha ha!" Snotlout laughed, almost giddily.

Stoick maneuvered himself through the forge, trying not to bump into the various amounts of Berkians and Berserkers who flooded in and out of it. "Hey, how are you?" he asked a villager, who merely waved his hand in response. Stoick continued walking. "Beautiful day," he said to a Berserker, who also waved him off with a smile. Stoick patted Spitelout's shoulder, probably harder than he intended to. "Hello, Spitelout. Great game today," he said.

Spitelout grumbled under his breath. Stoick turned around, nearly bashing into another villager. "Oh, sorry, Mrs. Ack," he said, tipping his helmet. Mrs. Ack simply said, "Oh that's alright" and continued on her way. Stoick walked up to Gobber. The blacksmith was currently working to sharpen a golden tooth for one of the dragons.

"Any sign of him?" Stoick asked.

Gobber stopped working, blowing off the tooth once or twice. "Ah, he's probably flown off the edge of the world by now," he commented. "You sure you want that kid running the village? You can still delay your retirement."

Stoick had considered it once or twice, but he knew that as soon as he made Hiccup Chief, the lad would do a great job of it. "Oh, he's ready," Stoick assured. "You'll see."

Gobber sighed. "You would think he'd show up for his sister's visit," he said, examining the metal tooth once again. "He's always so excited to see her. And to think he forgot...ah...I don't know if he's quite ready. Normally, a Chief who forgets the peace treaty signing of their neighboring tribe isn't a very good Chief."

"Hiccup will learn," Stoick said smoothly. "I'm sure Heather can give him a few things to remember. She can keep him in line. And besides, it's not like I won't be around. I'll be able to help him through whatever problem he has."

Gobber shrugged. "Well, you know your son," he said. "I'll take your word for it, Stoick."

"He's ready," Stoick said. "He's ready."

...

Hiccup, Heather, and Astrid landed their dragons directly in front of the forge. Hiccup slid off Toothless' back, switching his prosthetic gears as he went. Heather and Astrid jumped off their dragons' backs as well.

"Come on," Hiccup said to Heather. "Let's find our Dad and warn him. If this...whatever guy is really forming a dragon army-"

"Ha ha ha!" Deep, familiar laughing cut Hiccup off in mid sentence, and Heather, Astrid and Hiccup looked over at Stoick as he waved them over. "There he is!" He clapped Gobber's shoulder. "The pride of Berk!"

Hiccup, Heather, and Astrid raced over instantly.

"Who finally decided to show up for work," Gobber said to Hiccup, sounding less than thrilled. " _Yaaaay_."

"Sorry," HIccup apologized hastily, although it was pretty clear he didn't mean it. Heather and Astrid followed him closely. "Got held up," Hiccup muttered offhandedly.

Heather wanted to tell her father exactly what was going on, but she figured that going for a direct approach, as she liked to do, probably wasn't the best idea. They didn't want to start a panic. Especially with the Berserkers visiting.

"Mornin' Chief Heather!" a villager called out. Heather turned and smiled in their direction, nodding slowly. She would never get used to people calling her "Chief Heather". It seemed so odd, but she liked it, so she didn't complain.

"Hey, Dad, could I have a word?" Hiccup asked, following his father around the forge with Astrid and Heather hot on his heel.

"Oh!" Stoick said, looking at Hiccup over his shoulder. "Something you're itching to tell me?"

"Ah…" Hiccup began nervously. He looked at Heather and Astrid, and when they offered him no help, he continued. "Not quite the itch you're thinking of, but yes," he finished pointedly.

"Ah! Good man!" Stoick said. "Now, lesson one. A Chief's first duty is to his people!" Stoick opened the wooden windows, a large crowd lined up, waiting for their saddle orders. It was something they did as tradition whenever the Berserkers came to renew a peace treaty, ever since Heather became Chief. The Berkians would make custom saddles for all the Berserkers who needed one. It was great fun if not a little time consuming. "So…forty one?" Stoick called to the villagers.

"What?" Hiccup asked. "Could we just talk in private for-"

"Forty-" Stoick began to call again, unintentionally stomping right over his son's words.

"That's me!" a villager's hand shot into the air. "That's me! I'm next!" He shoved a Berkian back behind him. "Hey, I was ahead of you!" he said.

Hiccup looked crushed. "If...if we could just... _talk_ ," he pleaded, almost desperately.

Heather felt so bad for him. The poor guy was always trying to be so understanding and patient with his father, no matter how hard it was. Stoick tried to listen, but sometimes, it just didn't work, and it made Hiccup feel awful, and Heather knew it.

She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, like she and Astrid both did when he was upset about something. He sighed in response.

"Excuse me, I've been here all day!" the same villager shouted. "Okay, okay!" He leaned on the windowsill, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I want one of those high seaters, with lots of spikes and a big stowage compartment!"

"Absolutely!" Stoick nodded. "You got it, sir!" Stoick turned and strode in the opposite direction, and after groaning briefly, Hiccup chased after him.

"Ah, Dad, this is actually a little more important than building saddles," Hiccup said quietly.

"Yeah, Dad, it is," Heather agreed. "Maybe-"

"Ah-ah!" Stoick scolded, smiling all the while. He was clearly very excited about whatever he was going on about. "Lesson two. No task is too small when it comes to serving your people!"

"That's not what we meant," Heather said quietly.

"Dad-" Hiccup tried again.

Stoick bumped into Gobber's dragon and apologized quickly. "Oh, excuse us, Grump," he said. Grump went right back to snoozing, and Stoick patted his muzzle.

"Ah! Grump!" Gobber complained. "You let the forge die down again!"

Grump groaned and spat a lazy blast of fire, not even looking in the direction he was firing it in. Hiccup yelped and jumped indignantly, as did Heather and Astrid behind him. Gobber groaned, pouring water over the fire and putting it out as if he had done it a hundred times.

"That's it, Grump," he said. "You're going up for adoption!"

Stoick began handing tools to his son, and Hiccup had no chance but to take them and hope he managed to get a few words into his father's head. "One of these," Stoick counted off, "and this-"

"Ah, Dad-" HIccup tried again.

"There you go!" Stoick patted his son's shoulder. "Go on. Have away." He threw a piece of leather over a thin table while Hiccup approached.

"Yeah, but seriously," Hiccup said, "I really need to tell you about this, new _land_ we came across."

Gobber looked up from his work as Hiccup began drawing the outline of the saddle on the leather. "Another one!?" the blacksmith exclaimed.

Fishlegs strode into the forge, and for a few moments, Heather wondered how he had managed to get there so fast. Well, she supposed whenever people were talking about "new lands", Fishlegs was there. The boy was particularly fond of new lands and more importantly, new dragons.

"Any new dragons?" Fishlegs asked excitedly; just what Heather had expected of the boy.

"We didn't stick around to find out," Hiccup said plainly, looking briefly from his work towards Fishlegs. "These folks weren't particularly friendly."

"Hardly," Heather agreed. "They were very...hostile. Even for people living on their own."

"Oh, really?" Gobber asked, sarcasm very clear in his voice. "Your Night Fury, Razorwhip, and Deadly Nadder didn't bring them cheering to the rooftops?"

Heather simply rolled her eyes.

"No, this was different," Hiccup insisted. "Not the standard, rn-for-the hills hoo-ha I've come to enjoy." He set down the charcoal, turning to face his father. "These guys...were _trappers. Dragon_ trappers."

Silence fell over the forge almost instantly, the mood having changed entirely. Fishlegs shrunk back into the shadows, and part of Heather wanted to do the same. Dragon trappers. What a horrible people group.

"You should've seen their fort," Astrid said, waving her hands. "All blown apart and stuck in giant spikes of ice! It was _weird!"_

"It was weird," Heather agreed, deciding that backing up Astrid and Hiccup's story at this point would be a wise decision.

"I've never seen anything like it," Hiccup said, looking down briefly before lifting his head once again. "And worse of all, they thought _we_ did it!"

"Y'know, you bunch are gonna get yourselves into SERIOUS trouble one of these days!" Gobber commented, unscrewing his hammer hand and replacing it with a brush, which he used on his mustache. "Not everyone appreciates this way of life."

"Aye, Gobber's right, son," Stoick said. "Best we keep to our own."

Hiccup groaned. Heather really wished her father would embrace this danger and figure out a way to handle it. That's what she would have done, were she in his place.

Stoick pulled a lever, and a mechanical saw started. "Besides," he said, "you'll have more important uses of your time. Once we make the big _announcement!"_ He said the last word in a sing-song tone of voice.

Heather understood him being excited about Hiccup taking over as Chief, really, she did, but at the same time…

Hiccup yanked the lever to the saw, shutting it off instantly. He waited for the motion to stop entirely before speaking. "They are building a dragon army," he said flatly and slowly as if speaking to a five year old. People outside who were eavesdropping on the conversation whispered in hushed, confused tones. "Or...or at least the guy they're working for is," Hiccup corrected himself. "Ah...it was…" He swirled his wrist a few times, trying to remember the name. "Dargo Bluddyfist, or something," Hiccup muttered.

Something changed in Stoick's features the minute HIccup said the name. His eyes darkened, his smile turning into a frown. Heather wondered why.

"I'll bloody his fist with my FACE if he tries to take my dragon!" Tuffnut shouted from behind them, making everyone jump.

Ruffnut stepped up beside him, a look of determination on her face. "Or mine!" she agreed.

Tuffnut groaned, his shoulders slumping in annoyance. "Urgh, you're such a moron."

"A beautiful moron," Fishlegs said, almost dreamily.

"Yeah…" Snotlout agreed.

Ruffnut growled in disgust. Heather found herself disappointed in how Fishlegs was beginning to like Ruffnut. She sort of liked him. She thought he was cute...and plus, she liked a little smarts.

Stoick grabbed Hiccup's shoulders, and the boy flinched. "Bludvist," Stoick breathed for clarification. "Drago Bludvist?"

 _Now_ Hiccup looked unsettled. He looked absolutely terrified. "Uh, yeah," he said. Then, suddenly, he glanced up at his father again. "Wait," he said. "You _know him?"_

The look on Stoick's face said it all, and Heather was able to read it instantly.

They were in trouble.

Serious trouble.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys. Sorry I only updated once yesterday. I was at a friend's birthday party, so...yeah. That's it. I'm tired now. Tired and kinda feeling sick, so yeah, that stinks, but oh well. Part of life, right? :) So, unfortunately, I'll have to do shout-outs the next chapter. My mind isn't operating very well right now. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. :)**

* * *

"GROUND ALL DRAGONS!"

The first thing Stoick actually shouted were those three little words that made Heather's heartbeat start racing. Stoick raced down the stairs towards the dragon hangar, shouting as he went. Heather, Astrid, and Hiccup raced after the Chief of Berk, shouting and demanding to know what was wrong.

"What!?" Hiccup shouted.

"WHY!?" Heather shrieked. It was very unlike her to shriek, but downing all of the dragons, especially when a visiting tribe was there, was a big deal, and she wasn't in the mood to deal with it.

Moreover, she wanted to know who this Drag-Face Bloody-Whatsicallit guy was, and why Stoick was so worried about about it. If Stoick was worried about it, it was a _huge_ deal. Her father was hardly worried about _anything_.

Stoick didn't answer. "SEAL THE GATES!" he yelled instead, waving his hands at villagers who raced to do as he had commanded. "LOWER THE STORM DOORS!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hiccup cried desperately. "Wait! What is happening!?"

Heather was wondering the same thing. "Dad!" she shouted. "Could you PLEASE clue us in? DAD!"

"Come on!" Gobber called to more of the villagers who were standing around doing nothing, obviously wondering the same things Heather and Hiccup were. "You heard the man! Lock it down!"

Berkians and Berserkers scrambled to do as they were ordered, turning gates, swinging doors shut, and doing everything required in the lock-down part of the job.

"No dragon or viking sets foot off this island until I give the word!" Stoick shouted.

"WHAT!?" Hiccup and Heather yelled in unison.

"Heather, tell the Berserkers not to leave!" Stoick ordered. "Make sure they know that there is no leaving this island until-"

"Wait!" Hiccup interrupted. He stumbled down the stairs, his prosthetic not doing him any favors. "Just because some guy you know is stirring up trouble in some faraway land!?"

Stoick turned back to face his son, his eyes hard. "Because Drago Bludvist is a madman," he said tensely. "Without conscious, or mercy. And if he's built a dragon army…" Stoick turned away again, shaking his head as he made it down the last few steps, "gods help us all."

Hiccup, Heather, and Astrid exchanged nervous glances. This wasn't good. This. Was. Not. Good.

"Get them into their pens!" Stoick commanded.

"Aye, Stoick!" one of the villagers agreed, turning gears and pulling levers in a frantic haste to do as his Chief had ordered.

"Quickly!" Stoick pressed.

"Dad, wait," Hiccup said, his voice surprisingly calm considering their situation. "Let's ride back out there," Hiccup said once he was sure he got Stoick's attention. "We'll follow those trappers to Drago, and talk some sense into him."

"NO!" Stoick shouted. Heather saw Hiccup jump violently, and she was tempted to do the same. "We fortify the island!" Stoick said.

"But it's our duty to keep the peace!" Hiccup pleaded.

"Peace is over, Hiccup!" Stoick yelled. Hiccup, at this point, looked ready to turn and bolt. Heather didn't blame him. Stoick was intimidating. "I must prepare you for war," Stoick said quietly.

"WAR!?" Hiccup blurted. "Dad, if Drago's coming for our dragons, we can't wait around for him to get here! Let's go find him, and change his mind!"

Heather felt the same way. If anyone could make peace, it was Hiccup. She knew what a peacemaker he really was. If Hiccup couldn't do it, no one could.

"Some minds won't be changed, Hiccup," Stoick said, his voice surprisingly cracked and quiet, as though he really, truly wanted to listen to his son but at the same time knew that he couldn't. "Berk is what you need to worry about. A Chief protects his own," he finished firmly.

Hiccup stood there, tongue tied, and Stoick turned back around and continued shouting orders.

"SECURE THE STABLE!" he shouted. "LATCH EVERY STALL!"

Heather looked at her brother. There was a look in his eyes...a sort of distant look. He looked down at the ground, and it was almost as if Heather could see the gears turning in his brain as he formulated a plan, planned his next move…

She knew what he was thinking in a heartbeat. It was almost as though she were reading his mind.

Astrid noticed at the same time she did, because she put her hand on Hiccup's chest to stop him as he started forward. "Hiccup, don't!" she said in the harshest whisper she could have mustered.

"I have to," Hiccup said without missing a beat. He kissed her cheek softly, and then ran towards Toothless.

Heather knew one thing: if he was going, then so was she. She wasn't going to leave him to fend for himself. So, she turned as well and raced towards Windshear. Not much longer afterwards, she heard footsteps pounding behind her, indicating that Astrid was following them both.

Heather expected nothing less of the Hofferson girl.

"THIS WAY!" Stoick shouted, just around the same time Hiccup, Heather and Astrid mounted their dragons. "QUICKLY!"

The doors were closing quickly, and Heather knew it was now or never. Hiccup led the way, and they followed him closely.

"HICCUP!" Stoick yelled. "HEATHER!"

Hiccup flew towards one of the doors, but it sealed shut before they could make their escape. Toothless spun in the opposite direction, towards another rapidly shutting door.

"Come on!" he shouted.

Toothless spun and dove through the gap, and Heather and Astrid just barely managed to follow him just a split second before the door shut behind them.

"HICCUP!" Stoick shouted in vain, except now, he was fuming. His stubborn children would be in so, _so_ much trouble when he finally managed to drag them back to Berk.

…

Eret's ship glided through the ocean, and Eret stood at the bow of the ship, overlooking the sea. "Keep your eyes peeled, lads!" he ordered. "With this wind, we'll reach Drago by daybreak, so best we fill this ship up with dragons, and _quick!_ It's no time to be picky!"

"Uh...Eret?" one of the other trappers said, tapping Eret's shoulder, his eyes fixated on the sky.

Eret didn't notice it yet. "Not if we want to keep our-" he started, stopping when he finally looked at the sky. Three dragons flew towards them with three riders mounted on their backs. "HEADS!" Eret finished, excitedly. "Off the port quarter! Net 'em, lads! Take 'em down!"

"Up on the left!" another trapper shouted, and then, Eret got a good look at just who the riders were. The same three riders from earlier that day.

He smiled, aiming a net at them. "You're not getting away this time," he said. "FIRE!" Nets flew up towards the dragons, but each one of them missed. "RELOAD!"

"Come on, reload!" another trapper yelled. "Ah, incoming!"

Heather, Hiccup, and Astrid landed their dragons on the deck of the ship, Astrid with her axe drawn, and Heather with her axe drawn as well. Hiccup took off his helmet and tossed his head, smiling smoothly.

"And here I was worried we might turn up empty handed," Eret said.

Heather bared her teeth, ready to attack. All they had to do was wait for Hiccup to give the word, and then-

"Nope," Hiccup said casually. "It's your lucky day." Then, he raised his hands over his head, still smiling casually. "We give up!" he said. He dismounted Toothless. "That's one Night Fury, one Deadly Nadder, one Razorwhip-" He grabbed a net from the trappers and threw them over Heather and Astrid as they dismounted their dragons as well. "And three of the finest Dragon Riders west of Luk Tuk! That oughtta make the boss happy, right?"

He shoved past trappers. "Excuse us," Hiccup said. Heather didn't know what in the _world_ her brother was thinking, but she trusted him. If he was doing this, he must have had a good plan.

Right?

He was _Hiccup_. He _always_ had a good plan, no matter what the situation was. She didn't know what his plan was, exactly, but she knew better than to question him. He knew what he was doing.

"What are you doing?" Astrid questioned as Hiccup led them towards a metal hatch that led below decks. He threw the net off Heather and Astrid, and then opened the hatch.

"After you," he said to Astrid, and Astrid stepped down, obviously too confused to ask any more questions.

"I trust you have a plan," Heather whispered to Hiccup before she stepped down as well.

"Always," Hiccup said reassuringly. "I always have a plan."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "You and your dramatic flare," she grumbled.

He stepped down the hatch himself. "Toothless, stay," he said, and then, he closed the hatch. "The dragons don't really care for cramped spaces," Hiccup said, his voice echoing, "so they'll just hang out with you. They won't be any trouble."

Dragon Trappers pulled their weapons and swords all around them, and Toothless yelped, baring his teeth. Hiccup slid the hatch open again and poked his head through it. "Unless you do that!" he said. "You know...wooden boat, big ocean...how's your swimming?"

"Not good," one of the trappers said, his eyes wide as he came to the realization as if it had just occurred to him.

Hiccup lit Inferno, and a burst of flame shot up from it. The trappers jumped at the sight of it, and Hiccup retracted the blade again. "Oops!" he said. "Almost forgot!" He flicked his hair and handed the nearest trapper the weapon. "Can't have armed prisoners!"

"How is this a plan?" Heather whispered. Hiccup simply waved his hand at her. She knew better than to question him, really, she did...but it would help if she knew what he was planning.

One of the trappers took Inferno and held it cautiously, looking it over. He clicked one of the switches, and the pommel of the hilt began expelling green gas.

"Just what ever Dragon Trapper needs!" Hiccup said in a tone that sounded far too cheery. "One end coats the blade in Monstrous Nightmare saliva. The other sprays Hideous Zippleback gas." Hiccup sank back into the hatch, keeping his head down. "All it takes is a spark, and…"

Hiccup looked back at Heather and Astrid. "Duck," he whispered.

They dove for cover instantly, and just as they did so, an explosion swept over the deck of the ship, followed by a thick smoke cloud. Hiccup looked back up the hatch, smiling in satisfaction.

 _Oooooh, so_ that _was his plan_ , Heather thought.

"Oh yeah, there you go!" Hiccup congratulated. The trappers' faces were covered in soot, and they were holding Inferno as if it would kill them all then and there.

Toothless stood up on his hind legs and began pawing at a floating spark in the air like a cat.

"Once they see you as one of their own, even the testiest dragon can be trained," Hiccup said. Toothless bounded over to him, and Hiccup rubbed his head. "Right, bud?"

Eret ran forward and ripped Inferno out of the trapper's hands. "Give me that!" he yelled, and just as soon after, hurled Inferno into the ocean. Stormfly and Windshear spread their wings and flew after it.

"What game are you playing?" Eret growled at Hiccup.

"No game," Hiccup said honestly. "We just want to meet Drago."

Stormfly and Windshear returned, each of the dragons holding one end of Inferno. They dropped it at Eret's feet, and he grabbed it and threw it in the opposite direction. The dragons chased after it.

"Why?" Eret asked.

"Because I'm going to change his mind about dragons," Hiccup said firmly.

Eret and his men laughed in unison. Stormfly and Windshear returned, dropping Inferno at Eret's feet once again. Eret's laughs trailed off, and he eyed the dragons in somewhat confusion.

Astrid moved up beside Hiccup. "He can be really persuasive," she said.

Heather moved to Hiccup's other side. "You'd be surprised," she added. "He changed an entire island. One guy shouldn't be too much of a problem for him."

"Exactly," Hiccup said in reply. Toothless nuzzled him, and Hiccup scratched his head. "Once you've earned his loyalty," Hiccup said, "there is _nothing_ a dragon won't do for you."

"Bah!" Eret waved his hand in disbelief. "You won't be changing any minds around here."

"I can change yours," Hiccup said. "Right here, right now." He pushed Toothless' tail lever forward, and the prosthetic tail fin opened. Hiccup rose to a stand, gesturing to his dragon. "Ah, may I?"


	7. Chapter 7

**SO, DRAGONITES! :D I've actually been planning on doing this deleted scene since I first stared the fanfiction, so to those of you who asked if I would do the deleted scene, it's here! :D I wish they would have put this scene in the movie...I thought it was really good...but anyways, I'm not in charge of HTTYD, sadly. *frowns* *smiles* BUT I'M SORTA GLAD I'M NOT, honestly, or else I wouldn't be so excited about Race to the Edge. :)**

 **SO...I think I'm going to start doing shout-outs at the end of the chapters, that way I don't have like twenty paragraphs worth of shout-outs being the first thing you guys see when you open the chapter, so for the shout-outs, go to THE END of the chapter in order to see the shout-outs. **

**And...I love you guys. I really do. Thanks for all your support! Enjoy chapter 7, and scroll to the bottom to see the shout-outs! :)**

* * *

Eret smiled. "Well, seeing as Drago won't care if I deliver you dead or alive," he said, turning away and drawing his sword, "I'll give you as long as it takes to remove that noisy, oversized head of yours." He swished his sword through the air as if cutting the wind, making _swoosh, swoosh, swoosh_ sounds every time he did so. "How's that?" he asked, turning back to Hiccup.

"Fair enough," Hiccup nodded. He looked back at Heather and Astrid, a confused look on his face. "Is my head really oversized?" he asked.

Heather shrugged. "Your hair is," she said simply. As soon as she said it, she wanted to take it back. She wasn't helping the situation even slightly.

Hiccup tossed his head in a bout of sarcastic laughter. "Eh ha ha," he rolled his eyes. "Hilarious." Hiccup looked back at Eret and took a small step forward. "So, you trap dragons and ship them...north," Hiccup said. "To Drago?"

"Except when they're stolen by you!" Eret shouted. He jumped up on the edge of the ship, swung back around and raised his sword over his head. "AAHHH!"

"Hiccup!" Heather shouted without thinking about what she was doing.

"Riiiiiggghhht," Hiccup said. He grabbed a rope that was tying barrels down and yanked it free, sending the barrels rolling across the deck. Eret landed on one of them, scrambling to keep his balance. "My good friend, the Dragon Thief, and his ice spitting buddy."

Heather could see what her brother was doing: making it look like they were in league with this... _dragon thief._ It wasn't such a bad idea, the more Heather thought about it.

Eret was still trying to maintain balance on the barrel, and by now, he had done it with almost perfection. "The days of rescuing dragons are over," he said. "Drago has found the ice spitter's cave!" He jumped off the barrel and ran at Hiccup, swinging his sword. Hiccup ducked and jumped out of the way of every blow with perfection, as if he had done it a thousand times.

Heather thought about interfering, but Hiccup seemed to have a handle on things. Besides, if she interfered, she would put herself and probably Hiccup in danger both at once. She would jump in if Eret got too close and if Hiccup needed help.

"Soon," Eret continued, "all of your dragons will be trained for his army!"

"Oh, the dragon army," Hiccup said, ducking casually, Eret's sword swinging over his head. "How exactly did he pull that off? I mean, dragons aren't really the easiest to-" Eret swung a barrel at him, and he put his arms up to guard himself. "-Train!" he finished. The barrel knocked him against the side of the ship, not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to keep him distracted.

Okay, now, Eret was taking this a little too far.

Ere grabbed Hiccup by his shoulders, staring into his face. "Even _dragons_ know better than to cross Drago Bludvist," he snarled. Heather wanted to grab her axe and get that trapper away from her brother, but Astrid put her hand forward to stop her. This was what Hiccup wanted. Eret was spilling more and more information, and they needed as much information as they could get.

Eret smirked. "Is this part of changing my mind?" he asked challengingly.

"That part's coming," Hiccup assured him. He reached over and pulled a lever, and the rope began pulling itself towards the top of the mast. Hiccup grabbed a hold of it, and it yanked him upwards. "AH, ROPE BURN!" Hiccup complained.

Heather couldn't help but smile, although it was full of concern. What was he planning to do once he _got up there?_

Eret watched him from the deck, and then, he began running towards the ladder on the mast. "Come now!" he said. Hiccup flung himself off the rope and grabbed the wooden beams over the sails of the ship, clinging to them for dear life."Drago's about to take over the world!" Eret went on. "You're either with him, or against him!"

Eret made it to the top, stepping onto the same wooden beam Hiccup was on. "And the way I see it," Eret continued, "'against' is a losing proposition!" He pushed Hiccup towards the edge of the beam, and Hiccup tripped, just barely managing to stay on it. "Any last words to change my mind?" Eret challenged.

"No," Hiccup said. "Just this." He drew his dagger and sliced the rope. The piece of wood, which was bent into an arch, sprang back like a catapult, flinging Hiccup and Eret off of it and sending them flying through the sky. Eret started screaming, and all Hiccup did was smile fiendishly.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Eret screamed. "YOU IDIOT!"

Hiccup shrugged.

Heather was about to shout to Windshear and command the dragon to go catch her idiot of a brother, but then, Toothless beat her to it. He shot through the air, his locked tail fin keeping him airborne. He swooped towards Eret and Hiccup, grabbing Eret just before the trapper hit a heap of ice. Hiccup landed on Toothless' back effortlessly, switched the prosthetic tail fin back to manual, and then flew back towards the ship again.

"MAKE IT STOP!" Eret commanded. "MAKE IT _STOP!"_

"Hold on," Hiccup said, almost too casually.

Eret only continued screaming. Toothless made it back to the ship, and once he did, he dropped Eret onto the deck and landed. Eret jumped to a standing position, brushing himself off and regaining his composure. Hiccup slid off Toothless' back and crossed his arms.

"So?" Hiccup asked.

Eret glared back at him. "So what?" he snapped. "You didn't do anything! Your dragon did it all!"

"Exactly," Hiccup said plainly. "It's like I said. Once you've earned his loyalty, there is nothing a dragon won't do for you."

Heather wanted to clap and cheer for her brother's idea. That was a _brilliant_ idea. It was the perfect example of what Hiccup was talking about. It was proof of the truth Hiccup was trying to get through Eret's head.

"Oh, they've done enough for us already!" Eret shouted angrily, turning away from Hiccup and looking towards his men. "Right!?"

His men nodded and shouted their agreements.

Hiccup was ignoring them. He scratched Toothless' chin, and the dragon flopped over, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "Aww, who saved the big old grumpy loud-mouth from splattering on the rocks, huh?" Hiccup asked in a demeaning tone of voice. "Huh, who saved him? That was you, huh? You saved him."

Toothless purred, nuzzling against Hiccup's side like a desperate, mentally insane puppy dog seeking attention. HIccup glanced up at Eret and rose to a standing position once again.

Then, something Heather couldn't make out - a blur of red and black dragon scales - swooped down and snatched Hiccup right off the ship. Heather's mind filled with clouded panic, but then, she heard Hiccup shout, "PUT ME DOWN! SNOTLOUT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

Heather felt a little bit better when she knew that her brother wasn't in immediate danger, but she _did_ need to figure out why her cousin was there, and what he was doing.

Toothless roared and climbed onto the top of the boat, relaxing when he saw who it was. Snotlout looked over at Ruffnut and smirked, oblivious to Hiccup's angry shouting. "See how well I protect and provide?" Snotlout bragged.

Ruffnut growled, sounding more like a dragon than anything. Barf and Belch dodged nets and bolas that shot up at them from the ship with expertise, but that didn't mean the twins were any more thrilled.

Heather went for a trapped, bashing his head with the flat of her axe. He crumpled to the deck of the ship, unconscious in an instant.

Well, that was easy. Heather didn't know what was going on, and why the Berkians were here, but she had a pretty good idea. They must have followed Hiccup, Heather and Astrid. Great.

Heather was _so_ going to get it. Chief of Berserk or not, her father could still punish her, especially with the new threat of Drago. If Stoick got the dragon riders back to Berk, Heather wouldn't have been surprised if he threw them all in the dungeon and kept them locked up.

She just wouldn't let that happen. Hiccup was right. They needed to beat Drago head-on, not wait for Drago to attack. If they did that, there was no way they would even have so much as a _chance_.

People would die. It would be a slaughter. Innocent lives would be destroyed, families would be broken, and children would run terrified. Maybe even the children would be killed. Who was to say.

Heather bashed another trapper with her axe, her fury rekindled.

"Aaagh!" Tuffnut shouted, anger obvious in his tone. "What is with all the nets!?"

They dodged another one - just barely.

"HEY!" Ruffnut protested. "Watch it! That was close…" She froze when she saw Eret, her eyes widening. Heather looked up at her from where she was attacking another trapper, groaning when she saw the look on Ruffnut's face.

She knew that face. The face of somebody in love.

Great.

Now Ruffnut was in love with their enemy.

That day just got a whole lot better.

And she was starting to sound more and more like her brother.

Heather tuned Ruffnut out and continued fighting. Hiccup pushed off Hookfang and opened the wings of his flightsuit, gliding back towards the ship. Eret aimed his bola launcher right at Hiccup, ready to fire it.

Astrid's eyes widened. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!" she shouted, shoving Eret roughly. The net shot through the air, poorly aimed, and Hiccup missed it easily. Heather shoved more trappers away from their posts, threatening each and every one of them with her axe, even when it wasn't necessary.

HIccup grabbed the rope dangling from the top of the ship and swung down, landing on his feet effortlessly and folding the leather wings of his flightsuit back.

"Uh, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE!?" Hiccup yelled.

"We're here-!" Gobber landed on the ship. "To rescue...you!"

"I don't NEED to be rescued!" Hiccup shot back.

"And neither do I!" Heather shouted, bashing another trapper as if to prove her point. "I can take care of myself! I can-!"

"ENOUGH!"

The voice made Hiccup and Heather alike tense, and Stoick landed Skullcrusher on the ship. He dismounted, striding towards Hiccup and Heather.

"I think we're doomed," Heather whispered.

"No, we're beyond doomed," Hiccup whispered back.

Eret stepped forward. "Well, didn't you just pick the wrong ship, eh?" he said. Stoick didn't respond. "I am Eret!" Eret said, offended by being ignored. "Son of-"

Stoick put his hand over Eret's face and shoved him backwards without even looking at what he was doing. Gobber hit him on the head with his hammer, and once Eret was on the ground, Grump laid on top of him. Eret tried wriggling away, but it was useless.

"Get...this...thing...off...me!" Eret panted, breathless.

"Anyone else?" Gobber asked. No one said anything. "Hmm, that's what I figured."

Stoick pointed at Hiccup, and then moved his finger to Heather. "You two. Saddle up. We're going home."

"No," Hiccup said without missing a beat.

Heather could almost _see_ the anger rolling off their father in waves. "Of _all the IRRESPONSIBLE-"_ Stoick started.

"I'm trying to protect our dragons, and stop a war!" Hiccup defended himself. "How is that irresponsible!?"

"BECAUSE WAR IS WHAT HE WANTS, SON!" Stoick shouted.

Hiccup lowered his gaze, looking as though he would rather say a million things than stay quiet and yet had nothing to say. Heather felt the same way.

"Dad," she said slowly, "how do you know Drago Bludvist?"

Stoick sighed heavily, and then began the story. "Years ago," he began, and Heather and the others kept silent in order to listen, "there was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced. Into our midst came a stranger from a strange land, covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin. He carried no weapon, and spoke softly, saying that he, Drago Bludvist, was a man of the people, devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons."

As Stoick spoke, the area around them faded in Heather's mind, and she imagined Chiefs from all over the lands gathered in a Great Hall, discussing their problem. She imagined Drago - or, tried to. A man, covered in scars, and clad in dragon skin. It wasn't a completely accurate description, she was sure, but she did her best with the information given to her.

"He claimed that he alone could control the dragons," Stoick continued, "and he alone could keep us safe, if we chose to bow down and follow him."

The scene faded in Heather's mind, and she looked at the twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs as they laughed.

"Stupid," Ruffnut cackled, shaking her head.

"Ah, good one," Tuffnut said, wiping a tear away from his eye that fell due to how hard he was laughing.

"Aye," Stoick nodded. "We laughed too. Until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried, 'Then see how well you do without me!'"

Once again, Heather imagined the scene in her head, trying to match it up with her father's words and create a mental picture in her mind's eye.

"The rooftop suddenly burst into flames," Stoick went on to say, "and from it, armored dragons descended, burning the hall to the ground."

The image in Heather's mind faded once more, and she realized that her father's voice had cracked. "I…" Stoick continued sadly, "was the only one to escape."

That shocked everyone. Drago Bludvist - this new enemy - killed an entire hall full of Chiefs. If he could do that, then there was no telling what else he was capable of.

"Men who kill without reason," Stoick said, " _cannot_ be reasoned with."

In Heather's mind, it was all the more reason to go after him now, before he attacked Berk.

"Maybe," Hiccup said, turning back towards Toothless.

"Maybe," Heather agreed, turning and striding towards Windshear. Her brother felt the same way she did about this situation, and she knew it.

"Hiccup...Heather-" Stoick began warningly.

"I'm still going to try," Hiccup said. He jumped on Toothless' back, and Heather mounted Windshear. "This is what I'm good at," Hiccup said. "And if I could change _your_ mind...I can change his, too." He patted Toothless' neck. "Come on," he whispered.

"Come on, girl," Heather said to Windshear. The dragons spread their wings, and shot into the sky.

Astrid mounted Stormfly as silently as possible. "Let's go," she whispered to her dragon.

"No!" Stoick shouted, and Astrid froze. "Lead the others back to Berk!" Stoick commanded. "I've had enough _mutiny_ for one day!"

* * *

 **Shout-outs:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: I'm going to change SOMETHING, later on. I don't know quite what it is, yet, but I think I'll change something for sure. :)**

 **neobendium: Yeah, the Berserkers have got dragons now. :)**

 **ParagonNight666: Yeah, there isn't much Heather could have done...she's not going to agree with Stoick, and she's not going to sit around...after all, she IS the Chief of Berserk now. She has duty to protect her people. :) And thanks, I'm feeling better now that I've just kinda chilled out a bit today. :)**

 **LiviLovesDragons: Thanks a bunch! :D NO, DON'T DIE YET! IT'S JUST GETTING INTERESTING! *leaps over couch with defibrillator***

 **Ultimateblack: Whoops. *smacks forehead* Careless error! So sorry! Whenever I'm sick I get this weird twitch in my eye...it's weird. Yeah, that just about sums it up. The weird twitch in my eye is weird. I know I'm going to change something when we reach the middle of the fanfiction (around the time where Stoick dies), but nothing will be revealed until then, and quite frankly, I don't think many things will be changed until then, either. A bit of the dialogue will change, and I'll add more for Heather, of course, but yeah. Nothing's set in stone yet. :) As for your request, I think that idea's awesome! Unfortunately, I'm a bit backed up on requests at the moment, but I'll write it down and keep it in mind. :D Thanks! :D**

 **thearizona: That is a good idea, actually! Except, I'm going to keep the movie going as it did...right up until a certain scene, where then *Hiccup's voice* EVERYTHING CHANGES. Well, not _everything_ , but quite a few things. No major spoilers, of course, and I will not speak about it further because I don't want to spoil anything. BUT IT IS A GOOD IDEA! I should do a separate fanfiction with that what-if...:)**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! :D**

 **ForteEXEMaster: I _AM_ doing the deleted scene! :D :D :D RIGHT HERE, IN THIS CHAPTER! I loved the scene, but I wish they left it in the movie. I really wished they'd animated it and everything, it would have been awesome. But oh well.**

 **Drew Luczynski: *Dagur's voice* But I've always loved those!**

 **HappyPup1: WHOA! OKAY! I'M DOING THE DELETED SCENE! *dodges PLZs* I'M DOING IT! I'M DOING IT!**

 **Toothless801: Yeah, sickness is like that "lemon" in life, and SOUP while you're sick is like the "sugar" and "water" AND THEN YOU CAN MAKE LEMONADE! :D :D :D I MAY BE UNWELL, BUT THE RANDOMNESS REMAINS! :D I will be forever random, no matter what happens. :P Oh, SOUP! *accepts soup and gets another bowl to share with you* I love soup. It's brilliant. :D And yeah, Hiccup and his CRAZY plans...he has to be one of the most insane protagonists of any movie I've ever seen. Seriously, he's crazy. And that's what I love about him, honestly. He. Is. So. Insane. Too insane for his own good. :) I'm glad you liked the boat scene! Yeah, that was fun to write. :D**

 **BraveDragonof214: Haha, thanks! I totally imagined that in the 10th doctor's voice. :D**

 **hiccupandtoothless294: No spoilers yet...I know _something_ will change around that scene, but I will not speak of just what it is exactly...*winks mysteriously* **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! Sorry for not updating sooner than this. The heat is getting to my head. Blarch. Heat. _Mnnnnnooooooooooooo._**

 **But, I'm back now! And I'm going to be updating "Come Little Children" too maybe in a few minutes...soooo...yeah. Shout-outs are, once again, at the end of the chapter, just so you all know. :) Let me know what you think about this chapter, if you want! :D**

* * *

Heather and Hiccup flew through the sky over a bed of clouds. They were silent. Completely silent. The only sounds to be heard were the beating of Windshear's and Toothless' wings. Heather let her mind wander, thinking about everything her father had told her about Drago.

A man so dangerous _had_ to be stopped. He just had to be stopped, before he grew more powerful to the point where he was unstoppable. Berserk, and Berk were both in danger if Drago was on the loose.

No one was safe. Even if they were on Drago's side, Heather didn't think they were safe. She saw the scars Drago gave Eret when Eret showed up empty handed. There _was_ no "safe" anymore.

Not until Drago was gone.

Across from her, Hiccup balled his fists, took in a deep breath, and screamed in fury, punching the air as if it had wronged him. His anger driven shouting continued for a good five seconds before finally, he stopped screeching, flopping against Toothless' back breathlessly.

Toothless cooed in concern, and Hiccup ran his hand over his dragon's scales. "Don't worry, bud," he said. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise."

Heather looked down at Windshear's neck for a brief moment before turning her gaze back to Hiccup. "Not a bad idea you had back there," she commented. "With Eret, I mean. If you'd had more time, you could have changed his mind. I know you could have."

She hoped she was reassuring her brother by saying this, but in the end, it seemed to just make him more frustrated. "I know I could have," he said. "I was so...so _close_." He squeezed his hands together and let them drop against Toothless' back again. "Five more minutes," he said, lifting one of his hands and spreading his five fingers for emphasis. " _Five more minutes_ , and Eret would have been on our side."

He let his hand fall limply again.

Heather turned Windshear so that the Razorwhip flew right alongside the Night Fury, their wings just inches away from each other. "Dad's just trying to protect us," Heather said. "You know how it is, wanting to protect someone and never let anything bad happen to them. I know how that is, too. We both do. It runs through our blood as Haddocks."

Hiccup sighed, and Heather could imagine him remembering all the times he saved her, and all the times she flipped around and saved him right back. The biggest and most memorable time was probably when they first found out they were brother and sister, when Hiccup jumped in front of Heather and got a knife lodged in his stomach.

He saved her then.

She fought Dagur the Deranged and killed him to protect Hiccup and her island, and then later, she fought Dagur's sister, Athena the Unhinged, to save her family and free the Berserkers. That was how she became Chief of the Berserkers, actually. She challenged Athena and won.

Hiccup and Heather were so willing to do anything for each other. They were protective of one another, so Heather understood where their father was coming from when he was protective of them.

"I know," Hiccup said, digging the heels of his hands against his eyes. "I know, Heather. I just wish he would let me try. Give me a chance, maybe. I don't know why he wouldn't. I honestly don't know why…"

Heather nodded, lifting her head. As soon as she did, she froze. "Hiccup," she gasped, pointing ahead of them wildly.

Rising out of the clouds, was a dragon. She could tell that much instantly, but the thing that was most terrifying was the rider.

The rider of the dragon was wearing a blue mask with odd, horn-like spikes that shot out from the sides of it. It reminded Heather of the ice structure created by the "ice spitting dragon".

Hiccup groaned. "Aw, come on, Dad!" he shouted. "Seriously!?"

When he finally sat up and got a good look at the rider, Heather could almost _see_ each and every one of his muscles stiffen and go rigid. Toothless jerked to a halt, as did Windshear beside him. The mysterious rider and dragon sank back into the clouds, and was gone.

"Ooookay…" Hiccup said, holding it out probably longer than what was necessary. "No sudden moves."

Heather agreed silently, her eyes scanning for any sign of that mysterious rider. Then, suddenly, the dragon and rider shot out from the clouds and arched above Hiccup and Heather with grace, the dragon flapping its monstrous wings.

"Whoa," Heather gasped.

The two Haddocks formed a defense line as best as possible with only two people and two dragons. Toothless and Windshear bared their teeth at the rider and dragon, but it was clear that the dragons themselves were uneasy, and that was a bad sign.

 _Even dragons know better than to cross Drago Bludvist,_ Eret's words flashed through Heather's mind.

Was this mysterious rider Drago Bludvist himself? If so, then great. It just meant that Heather and Hiccup wouldn't have to worry about tracking him down.

If not, they might have had an even bigger problem on their hands. Maybe this rider was the dragon thief with the ice spitting dragon. Maybe that's where the idea for the helmet came from. Who knew? Heather certainly didn't.

"Alright, hold on," Hiccup chanted to himself. Then, he looked at Heather. "Hold on," he said. "Any ideas, Heather?"

Heather shook her head. "None," she said. "But there is this one. What if it's Drago?"

Heather hardly got a chance to finish her thought before something swooped in from behind them. She barely had enough time to shout "AAHHH!" before it crashed into her, grabbed her by her arms, and hoisted her higher into the sky.

It was another dragon, and it had pulled her away from Windshear.

"Windshear!" Heather shouted. "Spine shot! Windshear!"

The poor Razorwhip was being circled by dragons as well. Four of them to be exact. Two of them grabbed Windshear and pinned her wings to her side while the other two stood by, probably for backup.

"HEATHER!" Hiccup shouted. He flew Toothless straight towards her…

Dragons appeared from behind him.

"LOOK OUT!" Heather screamed. "BEHIND YOU!"

Toothless tucked his wings around his body and barrel rolled out of the way. Heather kicked and thrashed and struggled against the dragons holding her, but it was to no avail. They weren't holding her tight enough to cause pain, but they were holding her tight _enough_. Squirming was useless. There was no escape. She was helpless.

She hated being helpless.

Toothless turned and dodged another dragon, but more appeared out of no where, and eventually, Toothless was overwhelmed.

Then, suddenly, there was a _SNAP_ , and Heather could only fear the worst. The snap didn't come from the dragons, or herself, or Hiccup.

It came from Toothless' prosthetic tailfin.

The next thing she knew, Hiccup and Toothless were falling towards the ocean below them. Hiccup was screaming, and Toothless was roaring, flapping his wings desperately in a pathetic attempt to stay airborne.

"HICCUP!" Heather screeched.

Hiccup hit the water, and instantly began sinking. He tried kicking; he really, really, really tried kicking, but he couldn't stay up no matter how hard he tried. He knew the connection rod on Toothless' tail had snapped. It snapped, and since it had, there was no way for him to keep flying.

His prosthetic weighed him down. Toothless grabbed him by the back of his shirt and tried pulling him to the surface, but to no avail. They were sinking, down, deeper and deeper into the ocean.

Heather. Hiccup thought about Heather. He had to get up to her. He had to get her away from those dragons...if that was Drago Bludvist, who knew what he would do to her. He couldn't die here. He couldn't die _now_. He had to find out whether or not she was alright. He had to make sure she was safe, and if she wasn't safe, he needed to protect her. He needed to _save_ her.

But at the same time, the darkness felt...inviting, to some extent. He knew that if he closed his eyes his body would shut down. It would shut down, and he would drown. He didn't want to drown. He wanted to live. He wanted to make sure his family was safe and well.

But…

But…

But…

But…

But…

 _But…_

The water felt so...calming. He thought that maybe, if he relaxed, everything would be fine in the end, somehow or another. It was a weird feeling, but either way, he finally let his eyes close.

He heard muffled roaring of dragons that weren't Toothless, and he felt unfamiliar claws grab him, but that was it. The water was cold and scary and dark, and he wanted to sleep because he was so tired… He wanted to wake up on Berk, safe and warm in his bed. He wanted to see Astrid. He wanted to see Heather. He wanted to…

 _Sleep…_

…

"HEY!" Heather screamed as the dragons continued taking her on. "You left my brother back there!" she screeched, kicking her feet desperately. "The drop was too big! He'll drown!"

She wasn't set down, and none of the dragons went back. She felt overwhelmed by fury and terror.

But mostly fury.

She kicked and screamed bloody murder, thrashing wildly against the dragons' grips on her arms. She jerked and wailed, demanding to be let go. She wondered if she could do that thing Hiccup did to get away from Hookfang back at Eret's ship. She tried kicking her legs up and using them to push out of the dragons' claws, but it didn't work, and even if it did work, she didn't know what she would have done.

They were too far away by now. She wouldn't be able to swim back to Hiccup before it was too late. Either he would drown, or she would drown before she even got close.

And she didn't want to leave Windshear, either. The minute they were set down, she would attack, grab Windshear, and go back for Hiccup and Toothless.

She could do that. She would do that. She would _have_ to do that.

The dragons continued flying, and Heather kept her mouth shut, mentally planning her next moves. Then, all at once, they came to another lion's mane-like structure of spiked, jagged ice, much like the first one Heather, Hiccup and Astrid had come across. Heather held her breath, and the dragons swooped towards it.

They flew over a thick piece of ice, and under another one. Just like that, they were inside a cave, lit by nothing. Shapes moved in the darkness, and Heather ignored them. She was waiting. Waiting to be set down so she could get Windshear and race back to find Hiccup. Waiting for just the right moment to-

More dragons flew in from another tunnel, carrying a Night Fury and its rider in their claws. They dropped Hiccup and Toothless onto the ground around the same time Heather was released, and Heather wasted no time in running towards her brother.

"Hiccup!" she shouted. He pushed himself up slowly on his hands, keeping his head down. He coughed and hacked up sea water while Toothless nudged him worriedly.

Heather finally made it to his side, and she knelt next to him and pulled him into a tight embrace. He was soaking wet and freezing cold, not that she cared. He was still alive. His heart was drumming against his chest, and she could feel his heartbeat in their embrace, but she didn't give it that much thought, either. She was relieved it was still beating at all. "Don't scare me like that again," she snapped. "Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again."

He nodded and gagged, spitting up more salt water.

"Think you're alright?" Heather prompted, and Hiccup nodded, rising to a stand. He looked at the area and dragons surrounding them in confusion.

"Where are we?" he asked.

Before Heather had the chance to answer, the mysterious Dragon Rider stepped forward again, a staff in hand. The mystery person swung it and hit the ground, and instantly, the dragons around them opened their mouths, a slow, burning fire kindled in their throats. Hiccup drew Inferno and swished it through the air. Windshear and Toothless stood behind Hiccup and Heather protectively, the Night Fury wrapping his tail around Hiccup's legs while Windshear did the same to her rider.

"Who are you?" Hiccup asked slowly. "Are...are you the Dragon Thief?"

"Drago Bludvist?" Heather questioned.

No response. The human kept looking at them strangely, moving like a dragon around them. It was really beginning to creep Heather out.

"Do you even understand what we're saying to you?" Hiccup finally blurted.

The rider moved towards them slowly, a hand outstretched. Hiccup shoved Heather behind him with his free hand, his other hand holding onto Inferno tightly. "Stay behind me," Hiccup ordered.

Heather wanted to tell him that she could fend for herself, but there was no arguing with Hiccup, so she did as she had been asked, keeping her hand hovering over her axe should she have to use it.

Toothless growled. The rider put forth a hand, and then, Toothless flopped over on his back, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Heather took a small step towards Windshear, just to make sure this weird rider didn't do the same thing to her dragon. Toothless looked fine, but still.

Then, the rider put a hand towards Hiccup. Hiccup took a step backwards, as did Heather. All at once, the masked rider withdrew the hand as if something had burned it, and stepped back.

"Hiccup?" a feminine voice whispered. It was muffled from behind the mask, but there was no mistaking what she murmured. Hiccup stiffened all over again, as did Heather. Sure, Heather had shouted Hiccup's name a lot since meeting this weird dragon lady, but now, this woman was speaking as though she actually _knew_ who Hiccup was.

Well, since it was a lady, at least that ruled out the possibility that she was Drago, but that really didn't make Heather feel much better at this point.

The woman took off her mask. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green, her hair long and auburn with a few tiny streaks of grey in it. Not a young woman, then, Heather reckoned. Maybe in her forties, perhaps? Yes, that sounded accurate.

"C-Could it be?" the woman asked in shock. "After all these years...how is this possible?"

Hiccup looked tongue tied. "Ah...should I…" he began. "Should I know you?"

The woman's shoulders slumped. "No," she said quietly, shaking her head. "You were only a babe."

Hiccup and Heather squinted at her, Heather's mind racing. The woman looked back up at them and sighed.

"But a mother, _never_ forgets," she whispered.

* * *

 **Haha, yeah I'm totally gonna leave you on that cliffhanger. XD Shout-outs:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Yeah, I thought about sending Astrid with them, buuuuuuuuuuut...yeah, I didn't. *sheepish smile***

 **neobendium: I love the deleted scene! Deleted scene awesome. :D**

 **Dria Haddock II: I don't know if I'll kill him or not. I'm still thinking about what to do in that scene. All I'm going to say is that SOMETHING will change. Something for sure. I am one hundred percent positive that something will change. :)**

 **LiviLovesDragons: I SURPRISED YOU! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! XD Just joking. Yeah, I know, I wish that deleted scene was in the movie! I would have loved to see it in full animation. But alas.**

 **ParagonNight666: Not a bad idea, having the Berserkers come to fight...hmm...*winks* I might consider that. :) Yeah, I think the sicky thing was mostly the heat. It's easy to get dehydrated in the summer. Bleh. I'm hoping for cooler weather soon. :)**

 **LunarCatNinja: True! At least he has her. :)**

 **HappyPup1: AAAAHHHHH! :D :D :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Yup! :D**

 **marine1324: I would like to believe she did. I mean, she _is_ their Chief now, after all. :) **

**Ultimateblack: I'm glad you liked the deleted scene put down into words. :) I had too much fun writing that scene. I wish they had kept it in the movie. And yeah, the shrugging part was something I added. I'm glad you liked that, too! :D I think my study life kinda went down the drain as soon as I started my fanfiction account...XD**

 **Silver Electricity: Thaaaaaannnkk yyyyooooouuuu. :D**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: Thank you for saying so! It means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked those chapters! I had fun writing the deleted scene. I wish they'd kept it in the film. That would have been awesome. But I suppose they can't keep in EVERYTHING. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **thearizona: Yeah, I'll just run with it. I have the request written down already, so...yeah! I got it dialed in on my fanfictions to write journal, so yeah, totally cool. :) The deleted scene is AWESOME, by the way. Yeah, if you haven't seen it yet, go watch it! To YouTube! XD**

 **The Princess of Derp: Thanks! :D**

 **Tangled4ever: Oh yeah. :)**

hiccupandtoothless294: We will have to see what happens! :)

 **Fall With Me Off A Clift: Ick, I know. Why can't December come sooner? Funny, I'm more excited for Race to the Edge then I am about Christmas. :/ XD I'm crazy. Very crazy. And that's not always a bad thing, either. :) FEEELLLLSSS! THE FEELSIES ARE REALSIES! That's one of my favorite terms. :) And you're welcome about the website! :D Thanks for reviewing! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys! Sorry, no shout-outs this time. I know, I'm terrible.**

 **But I'm also tired...so...yeah. Not very excited about high school. Oh well. :) Thank you all SOOOOO much for all the reviews last chapter. They mean so much to me, and I hope you all enjoy chapter 9! :) Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Heather froze. She found herself unable to speak, unable to move, unable to even _breathe_ hardly.

A mother never forgets.

This woman was her _mother_. This mysterious woman, who kidnapped her and Hiccup and their dragons, was her mother. Hers and Hiccup's mother, to be exact. Heather felt a swirl of emotions. First of all, shock, second of all excitement, third of all joy, and fourth of all…

Gah, what the heck. She didn't even know _what_ she was feeling anymore.

In front of her, Hiccup gasped in shock, taking another small step backwards. The woman - their _mother_ , named Valka if what Heather remembered was right - put her hand out towards them, and then, she smiled. "Come," she said.

And just like that, she turned and raced down another corridor. After exchanging glances, Hiccup and Heather chased after her.

…

Gobber and Stoick flew through a hail storm, the dragon's wings pounding against the cold air. Stoick assessed their surroundings for any sign of his son or daughter, but so far, nothing.

"Boar-headed!" Stoick shouted to Gobber. "Just like their mother! Ah, she could never stay put, either!"

"Ah, they're just twenty!" Gobber said. "And they're _Vikings_ , too! I mean, could there be a worse combination! Ha, when I think of how stubborn and senseless YOU were back in the day…" Gobber paused, his lips curving into a frown. "Well, not much has changed, actually," he said.

Stoick sighed. "You know what he's like," he said. "I expected a little bit more sense from Heather, but Hiccup...he won't give up, Gobber, and I don't think Heather will, either. If they find Drago...before we find them…"

"Bah!" Gobber said. "Nothing can hurt them as long as they've got their dragons with them! They're DRAGONS!"

Stoick wasn't listening anymore. He'd caught sight of something floating in a large piece of cracked ice, and Skullcrusher headed downwards to investigate. Stoick grabbed the brown object and held it in his hands.

Hiccup's helmet.

His son's helmet.

This was bad. Hiccup and Toothless must have crashed, somehow, but where was Heather and her dragon? Stoick put the helmet in front of Skullcrusher's nose. "Find them, Skullcrusher!" he commanded. "Find them."

Skullcrusher roared and surged onwards. Stoick could only hope that if they found Hiccup, they would find Heather as well.

…

"Hold on!" Hiccup called after Valka as they raced through the corridors of the tunnel. Heather followed him closely, as did Toothless and Windshear. "Wait just a minute! I-"

"This way," Valka cut in, turning around to face them briefly before leaping over a stone as if she had done it a gazillion times.

"Wait!" Heather shouted. "Come back here! I have questions!"

"Come," their mother said in reply, maneuvering herself over rocks and between stones, and even under a few more jagged pieces of ice.

Heather's mind was blank. She couldn't think properly. This was her _mother?_ What the _heck?_ What the _actual heck?_

"You can't just say something like _that,"_ Hiccup went on, "and _run off!_ You're my - I mean, _our_ , mother!? I mean, what the…? Do-do you grasp not insane it sounds!?"

"Come! Quickly!" Valka urged, climbing up a steep rock and disappearing over the side of it. Heather and Windshear jumped up it with ease, but Hiccup struggled, slipping every time he was certain he had a grip.

"I have questions, too!" Hiccup shouted. Heather grabbed his wrist and pulled him up with the help of Toothless, and they continued following their mother, who was still jumping around the rocks like some sort of squirrel. "Where have you been all this time!? What've you been doing!? They said you were _dead!_ Everyone thinks you were eaten by…"

Hiccup's voice trailed off as they stepped out of the tunnel and into the light. Heather gasped sharply.

There were dragons _everywhere_. Everywhere Heather turned, another dragon came out of no where. They flocked like schools of fish, flying in formation, some of them wrestling another dragon to the ground with playful bites and scratches.

Heather didn't know what to think of it.

Valka and her dragon were hanging from a rocky overhang, and when Hiccup and Heather saw her, they jumped for just a moment before relaxing again. Heather didn't know what to think.

"This is where you've been, for twenty years?" Hiccup asked. He sounded breathless in awe and shock. Valka nodded. "You've been rescuing them," Hiccup breathed. Valka nodded again, this time, smiling.

Heather breathed in sharply. "Unbelievable," she whispered, shaking her head.

"You're not upset?" Valka asked.

Heather didn't know who the question was directed to, so she just let Hiccup answer it. "What?" Hiccup said. "No. I mean...I don't know. It's a bit much to get my head around, to be frank. It's not every day you find out your mother is some kind of crazy, feral, vigilante dragon lady."

"Oh," Valka said, and she laughed. Her dragon lowered her to the ground, and she made her way towards Hiccup and Heather. "At least I'm not boring...right?" she said.

"Well," Hiccup began, "I suppose there is that...one...specific...thing."

She looked from Hiccup to Heather again, this time letting her eyes linger on Heather for longer. "Heather," she breathed in shock.

Heather was surprised her mother recognized her. According to Hiccup, Stoick didn't recognize her. Well, Heather supposed Hiccup had been giving her a few hints here and there, calling her "our" mother instead of just "my", but still.

Heather nodded. "Mom," she whispered.

Valka blinked. "I thought...I thought you were taken," she said in quiet confusion. She touched Heather's cheek, almost as if expecting Heather to vanish. Heather leaned against her mother's hand without fully thinking about what exactly she was doing.

"She was," Hiccup cut in, "but we found her, just a few years ago. It was...it was crazy. You wouldn't believe what happened…"

Valka turned from her daughter to her son, and then back to her daughter. "Well, you two will have to tell me about it sometime," she said. She looked desperately like she wanted to pull Hiccup and Heather both into an embrace, but she was refraining, for whatever reason. Maybe she was nervous. Heather supposed she would be nervous were she in Heather's place.

"We do," Hiccup agreed.

Valka scanned their surroundings once more and looked back at her children, now young adults. "Do you like it?" she asked nervously.

"I don't have the words," Hiccup said in awe, while at the same time, Heather said, "I don't know what to say."

Toothless was being surrounded by curious dragons who were sniffing him. At length, once the Night Fury had had enough, he roared at them, scaring them off effortlessly. Valka stepped towards Toothless and glanced back at Hiccup. "Can-can I…?" she asked.

Hiccup nodded, and Valka put her hand out towards Toothless. "Oh, he's beautiful!" she said in amazement. Toothless rubbed against her hand, his tongue flopping out of his mouth. "Oh, incredible!" Valka said. "He might very well be the last of his kind." Toothless pressed against her and rolled over on his back, his head in her lap. "Oh, and look!" Valka said, excitedly. "He's your age!"

Hiccup laughed softly, as did Heather beside him. He put his hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him, and they both smiled.

This was their mother, and she was just as much of a dragon lover as they were. It was easy to see where they got it from.

"Ha, no wonder you get along so well," Valka continued. Toothless' teeth sheathed into his gums, and Valka looked at them with awe. "And retractable teeth!" she said, practically sticking her entire head into Toothless' mouth to look at his gums. "How did you manage to…" Her voice trailed off, and Hiccup spoke.

"I found him in the woods," Hiccup said. "He was...um...shot down, and wounded." Hiccup put his hands behind his back and nodded as if trying to reassure himself.

Well, he wasn't exactly lying. Hiccup had told Heather once about how he met Toothless, and it was obvious that Hiccup didn't want to tell his mother how he'd done it.

Valka looked up at him and stepped away from Toothless, towards another dragon Heather had noticed when they walked in. "This Snafflefang lost his leg to one of Drago Bludvist's iron traps," she said sadly. Without waiting for Hiccup to respond, she walked towards another maimed dragon. "This Raincutter had her wing sliced open by razor netting," she said.

Heather winced. She couldn't imagine something like that happening to Windshear. The thought was almost too horrifying. She beckoned to her dragon, and Windshear licked her cheek. Heather never wanted anything to happen to her dragon.

Valka walked towards one last dragon. This particular dragon's eyes were clouded over and foggy. "And this poor Hobblegrunt was _blinded_ by a tree snare," Valka said, "and then left to die alone, and scared."

Heather could see where she was going, and she understood why Hiccup suddenly grew even more uneasy.

Valka knelt beside Toothless' tail fin and held it up. "And what of this?" she asked. "Did Drago or his trappers do this, too?"

Hiccup laughed awkwardly. "Heh, well, crazy thing is... _I'm_ actually the one who shot him down. Hey, it's...it's okay, though!" he promised when he saw Valka's confused expression. "He got me back. Right, bud?" Toothless cooed in agreement. "You couldn't save all of me, could you?" Hiccup said. "You just had to make it even! So…peg leg!" Hiccup lifted his leg off the ground, his prosthetic in full-view.

Toothless flipped Hiccup up in the air so that the boy landed on his back, and Hiccup leaned against Toothless' neck, rubbing his head.

Valka smiled nervously. "What did your father think of you two?" she asked, motioning to Heather's dragon and then to Toothless. "You two and your dragon friends?"

Hiccup sighed. "Ah, he didn't take it all that well," he admitted. "But then...he changed. They all did. Pretty soon everyone back on home had dragons of their own."

Valka sighed in clear disappointment. "If only it were possible," she said.

Heather tilted her head sideways. "He's not joking," she said.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed. "Really, I-"

"Believe me," Valka cut in. "I tried as well, but people are not capable of change, Hiccup. Some of us...were just born different."

She sighed and glanced back at the ground, a distant look in her eyes. "Berk was a land of kill or be killed," she said, and in Heather's mind, she imagined what Berk used to be like, back before Hiccup brought peace between vikings and dragons. She imagined the sky dark and smoke filling the air. She imagined dragons soaring through the sky.

"But I believed peace was possible," Valka went on, and she sighed again. "It was a very unpopular opinion," she murmured under her breath. "Then, one night, a dragon broke into our house, finding Hiccup in the cradle."

Heather imagined it: the dragon caving in the roof, running towards a baby's cradle. It wasn't hard to picture.

"I rushed to protect you," Valka said. "I couldn't bear the thought of losing you so soon after losing your sister. But...what I saw...was proof of everything I believed. This was not a vicious beast, but an intelligent, gentle creature, whose soul reflected my own."

Heather paused, trying to match her mind's eye with the story her mother was telling her.

"Your father came running in at that moment," Valka went on. "He told me to run. The dragon tried to defend itself, and...I suppose he saw me as one of their own."

"And he took you," Hiccup finished, and the image in Heather's mind faded, bringing her back to the present.

Valka sighed, and nodded. "Yes," she said. "You and your father nearly died that night...all because I couldn't kill a dragon."

Hiccup smiled softly, exhaling through his nose. "Yeah, it runs in the family," he said smoothly.

The comment seemed to go unnoticed. "It broke my heart to stay away," Valka said, "but I believed you'd be safer if I did."

The conversation was growing depressing, so Heather decided it was time to change the subject. "How did you survive?" she quipped.

Valka's features brightened. "Oh, Cloudjumper never meant to harm me," she said, walking towards the cliffside. "He thought I belonged here. In the home of the great Bewilderbeast!"

Heather looked over the side of the cliff, just as a huge, monstrous, white dragon rose up. Its tusks were as white as snow, the ends sharp, but not pointy. She gasped at it, her smile growing even bigger. This creature was _amazing_. This creature was absolutely _amazing_. It had large spikes on its back, and there were more spines on its head that seemed to match that of the jagged ice cave, and Valka's mask.

"The Alpha species," Valka explained. "One of the very last few that still exist. Every nest has its queen but _this_ is the _king_ of all the dragons! With his icy breath, this graceful creature built our nest. A safe haven for dragons everywhere."

Heather's smile slowly faded. So this confirmed it. Valka was the dragon thief. Not that it was a bad thing, or anything, just...Heather couldn't help but think about all the damage…

She shook her head. Drago and his trappers were all insane. They all deserved it.

"Wait, _that's_ the ice spitter?" Hiccup asked. " _He's_ responsible for all that destruction?"

"He protects us," Valka said, almost defensively. "We all live under his care and his command. All but the babies, of course…"

"What do you mean?" Heather asked.

Valka nodded towards the Bewilderbeast, and when Heather looked, she saw what her mother was talking about. Baby dragons were climbing all over him, biting at his horns and sliding down his tusks, growling happily all the while.

"...Who listen to no one," Valka finished with a chuckle.

The Bewilderbeast gently blew the baby dragons off his face, and then turned in Heather, Hiccup, and Valka's direction. He studied them carefully with his old, wise eyes.

"I've lived among them for twenty years," Vakla said. "Learning their ways, discovering their secrets."

The Bewilderbeast blew frost towards Hiccup and Heather, and it collected in their hair. Valka laughed while Hiccup and Heather desperately tried shaking the snow out of their scalps.

"He likes you two," she said.

"Wow," Hiccup breathed.

"Yeah," Heather said. " _Wwwwoooow_."

Valka turned back towards their direction. "You must be hungry," she said.

Heather thought about it, and then, she realized just how hungry she was. "Um, yeah," she said.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed with a small shrug of his shoulders. "We could eat. I'll have to fix Toothless connection rod before we do, but give me a rock and some dragon fire and it'll take me five minutes."

"Good!" Valka said, almost excitedly. "It's feeding time!"


	10. Chapter 10

***turns around slowly in big black chair* *strokes black kitten with evil gleam in eyes* I've been expecting you. Heh heh heh...**

 ***axes are thrown from audience* BOOOOOOOOO! BOOOOOOO! *more axes***

 **OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY I AM SORRY! I AM SORRY! OKAY!? *regains composure* *dodges one last axe* Okay! So, recently, I have been coming across my greatest enemy. *walks slowly towards bookshelf* Some people struggle with it...while others find it easy to overcome. *takes leather book off shelf* I for one have found myself becoming more and more prone to this... _horrid_ thing. They call it... **

***pauses for dramatic effect***

 ***opens book***

 ***stares straight into your eyes***

 _ **High** **school.**_

 ***gasps***

 **OKAY OKAY OKAY now I'm being dramatic. Sorry guys. High school isn't _that_ bad for me yet. But my brain is feeling fried. Ick. :) I really want to do shout-outs this time, but unfortunately, if I do shout-outs, it means that I won't be able to update until like tomorrow, because I think I strained my wrist while playing "Dragon Racing" on piano (yes, I learn lots of HTTYD soundtrack on piano). I'M JUST HAPPY I FINISHED THIS CHAPTER WITH MY WRIST. :) **

**So, shout-outs NEXT TIME, and THIS TIME, I PROMISE!**

 **OH, AND BEFORE I GO, I JUST HAVE TO SAY:**

 **THERE WILL BE A CHANGE OF EVENTS. THERE WILL BE A CHANGE OF EVENTS THAT DOESN'T FOLLOW THE EVENTS OF THE SECOND FILM. Okay, with that, enjoy chapter 10. :)**

* * *

Astrid, Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout were waiting with their dragons on a small glacier. They had been waiting there for roughly an hour now, and Astrid was beginning to grow worried. If Stoick and Gobber were just trying to get Hiccup and Heather back, it shouldn't have been taking this long.

"I don't like it," Astrid said at length. "They should've been back with Hiccup and Heather by now."

"I don't like it either!" Ruffnut complained, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Eret, Son of Eret was the man of my dreams. My _everything!"_ She threw her head back dramatically as if it would somehow emphasise her words.

Snotlout looked hurt. "But, baby, I grew facial hair for you," he said, rubbing his chin, looking pained.

Fishlegs stepped up beside Snotlout with the same expression. "Me too," he said regretfully.

"What if Drago shot them down?" Astrid said, trying to get back to the original subject. "What if they need our help? We have to find them."

"Wait, wait, what?" Fishlegs asked quickly. "But Stoick said-"

"It doesn't matter _what_ he said if they've all been captured!" Astrid shouted back. "Come on!" Stormfly spread her wings and launched herself into the sky, and soon afterwards, the other dragons followed in suit.

Eret's ship glided over the water, chunks of ice scattered across the ocean.

"Do we go back?" one of the trappers asked.

"We've nowhere to go!" Eret shot back, holding a block of his ice to his head where Gobber had hit him. "Nothing to sell! And no heads to call our own! If we don't turn up with dragons, and fast-"

Stormfly snatched him right off the deck of the ship, and almost instantly, Eret began screaming. Astrid smiled in satisfaction. "Be careful what you wish for!" she called down to him in a sing-song tone of voice.

"Eret, Son of Eret!" trappers shouted from the ship, but to no avail. They fired bolas and arrows at them, but nothing stopped the dragon riders, and they continued flying until the ship was out of sight.

"What is this!?" Eret demanded, scrambling to grab ahold of Stormfly's leg.

"A kidnapping!" Astrid answered cheerily.

"Yay!" Ruffnut cheered, moving Barf closer so she grab grab Eret's arm. "Can he ride with me!?" Ruffnut asked excitedly. "Can he? _Can he?"_

Tuffnut shied away from his sister, a look of pure disgust on his face. "Ugh!" he gagged. Astrid rolled her eyes. Tuffnut was just as dramatic as his sister.

"You're gonna show us the way to Drago," Astrid said to Eret, nodding in the direction of the sky as they went.

"And help Dragon Riders sneak into Drago's camp?" Eret gasped. He let go of Stormfly's leg so that the only thing keeping him in the air was Stormfly's claws wrapped around his arm. "Just kill me now!" he said.

Astrid smirked. She had been hoping this would happen. Secretly, of course. "That can be arranged," she assured him. "Stormfly, drop it!" she commanded her dragon, and Stormfly was more than happy to oblige. Eret gasped, and Stormfly released the trapper, who soon began screaming.

Astrid knew it would work, because it was exactly what Hiccup did to her five years ago with Toothless. She knew how to get people to do as she wanted, and now, she was doing it to Eret.

"Good girl!" she said, rubbing her dragon's neck in congratulations. "Now, Stormfly, fetch it!" she cheered. Stormfly chirped in agreement and soared downwards towards the falling dragon trapper.

"ALRIGHT!" Eret screeched. "OKAY! I'LL TAKE YOU TO DRAGO!"

Stormfly snatched him up again, just before Eret hit the water. Astrid cracked her knuckles, smiling in satisfaction. "Ha, works every time," she said smoothly.

…

Hiccup, Heather, and Valka soared over the ocean on their dragons, the entire flock of dragon's from Valka's dragon sanctuary occupying the air behind them. Heather glanced at them, and then looked back in front of her.

This truly _was_ amazing. Heather didn't know a whole lot about Valka, simply because Hiccup never talked about her and neither did Stoick, but Heather was beginning to really love her mother already, even in such a small amount of time.

Hiccup had managed to fix Toothless' connection rod by melting the metal back together and using a heavy stone as his hammer, and Heather was glad he was smart and knew how to do something like that, or else, Toothless and he would have been downed for who-knew how long.

"Hey, I-I thought we were going to eat!" Hiccup called to Valka. He sounded more confused than anything; confused and a tad bit embarrassed.

Valka only chuckled. "Oh, we are!" she assured. Cloudjumper spun back around to face Toothless and Windshear, and the two dragons froze where they were in the air, their wings beating to keep them airborne.

For a moment, nothing.

And then, there was a gurgling and a bubbling sound coming from the water below them, and Heather looked down to watch in amazement as the Bewilderbeast rose up out of it.

Water splashed in all directions, and Heather was glad they were high enough in the air to not get drenched. Then, the Alpha opened his mouth, and blew fish into the air.

Heather couldn't help but gasp and gape. Thousands upon thousands of silver, shiny fish rained down around them, and her expression must have been pretty hilarious, because her mother laughed. Windshear looked back at Heather, and Heather nodded at the dragon. Afterwards, the Razorwhip shot through the sky, gobbling as much fish as possible. Heather watched Toothless dive towards the surface of the ocean, skim the water, and come back with a mouthful of fish so big, it was enough to feed probably three Night Furies.

…

"And from Dragon Island," Hiccup began, gesturing to the map he had unfolded on a snowy glacier they had landed on, "I found this archipelago…" Hiccup looked up in confusion, as did Heather, and they watched as Valka drew a replica of Hiccup's map in the snow ahead of them.

Heather couldn't help but grin. Now she knew where Hiccup's artistic talents came from. Of course, she always knew they didn't come from Stoick, but it was cool seeing where they came from _exactly._

"Wow," Heather breathed before she could stop herself.

"There," Valka said as she stepped back. She ruffled Heather's hair, and Heather smiled. Then, Toothless raced past them, a large icicle caught between his teeth. He dragged it through the snow, creating an odd spiral of lines and swirls. The dragon looked so pleased with himself it was almost hilarious.

It went from almost hilarious to just plain old hilarious then the Night Fury tried to let go of the icicle and it was stuck to his tongue as if glued there.

Heather and her family laughed.

…

They were hovering in an updraft, smiling away as the wind blew their hair across their faces. Heather watched as more dragons jumped off the sides of cliffs, spread their wings, and got caught in the updraft as well.

It was brilliant.

Valka then hopped off Cloudjumper's back and onto another dragon's. She continued jumping gracefully from one dragon to another, almost as if she were dancing. Sne walked across Toothless' wingspan, ruffled Hiccup's hair, and then slid off the dragon's back.

Cloudjumper caught her, and she glided in between Heather and Hiccup, breathing deeply. "Oh...when I'm up here, I don't even feel the cold," she said, almost dreamily. "I just feel…"

"Free," Hiccup and Heather said, both at the exact same time.

Valka smiled at them, and they smiled back. Their mother spread her hands. "This is what it is to be a _dragon_!" she said as if she were telling them an amazing secret.

"It's amazing!" Heather said, almost giddily.

Hiccup smirked at the both of them. "It's all well and good to call yourself a dragon," he said, yanking his leg forward so that Toothless' tail fin was locked, "but can you fly?" On the last word, he leapt to his feet and ran, jumping off Toothless in one quick movement.

"Hiccup!" Valka gasped, and Heather only smiled. Hiccup was such a _show off_. Such a _drama queen_.

Well, two could play at _that_ game.

"Oh no!" Heather cried in mock terror. "He's DOOMED!"

"WHAT!?" Valka shouted.

Before she could have a full-blown panic attack, Hiccup spread the wings to his flightsuit, the wind caught them, and then, he was flying, gliding smoothly across the sky with Toothless right behind him.

Heather smiled at her mother, finally seeing that the woman's posture was relaxing, her once terrified expression replaced with one of awe. Heather laughed. "He's an idiot!" she said.

Valka smiled - Heather realized that she, Hiccup, and Valka had all been doing a lot of that lately. Cloudjumper and Windshear pursued Hiccup...just around the same time a small mountain of snow appeared in front of him.

"Oh no," Hiccup groaned. "Oh no...TOOTHLESS!"

Toothless was quick to catch up. He must have been expecting something to go wrong, because he was able to wrap Hiccup in his wings and barrel through the mound of snow, hitting the ground.

Valka and Heather landed their dragons around the same time Hiccup jumped out of a pile of snow, cheering. "Ha! Woo-hoo!" he exclaimed. "Man, almost!" he said, turning back to face the Night Fury. "We just about had it that time?"

Toothless sneezed, and then glared back at his rider. He swung his tail at Hiccup's legs, tripping the boy just as Hiccup finally regained his footing. Hiccup fell flat on his back in the snow, and Heather and Valka ran towards him, laughing.

As soon as he was standing again, Valka examined Hiccup's flight suit, smiling in awe. "Oh, incredible," she gasped.

"Well," Hiccup said, "not so bad yourself."

Valka moved her hand up to his cheek, and she hesitated just a moment before cupping his face in her hand. Hiccup leaned against her palm, letting out a small sigh in contentment.

Heather lived most of her life thinking that her mother was someone she wasn't, so now, finally meeting her mother, it was an odd feeling. For her, anyways. She stepped back and allowed Hiccup and Valka some extra space. Hiccup lived his whole life thinking his mother was dead.

At least Heather _had_ a mother growing up, even if she wasn't her _real_ mother.

"All this time, you took after me," Valka said, her smile only growing. Then, it faded as soon as it came. "And...where was I?" she murmured, sounding as though she were scolding herself. "I'm so sorry, Hiccup," she said, looking back up at her son. "Can we start over? Will you give me another chance?"

The look in his face said it all, and Heather let a faint smile spread across her face.

"I can teach you - both of you - all that I've learned these past twenty years," Valka said, stepping towards Toothless. "Like…" She pressed two of her fingers against Toothless' neck and massaged it in slow circles. Hidden tailfins appeared across Toothless' back, splitting his fins in two and giving him twice the number he would usually had.

"Whoa," Hiccup breathed.

Toothless looked beyond happy, and he flapped his back fins excitedly. "There," Valka said. "Now you can make those tight turns."

Toothless, who seemed beyond thrilled by this new discovery, cooed in excitement and bounded around Hiccup in circles before finally pressing his head against his rider's hand. "Did you know about this?" Hiccup asked.

Toothless flapped his new fins once again, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his teeth sheathed.

Valka chuckled. "Every dragon has its secrets," she said, taking a step towards him again, "and I'll show them all to you."

Toothless, still excited by their new discovery, bounded around the snow and then burrowed beneath it. A lump of snow moved around, and Toothless popped back up right next to Cloudjumper, snow collecting on Cloudjumper's head. The Stormcutter turned his head, dumping the snow right back onto Toothless. Toothless shook it off and showed off his new fins to Cloudjumper, who looked unimpressed.

Valka put one of her hands on Heather's shoulder, her other hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "We'll unlock every mystery, find every last species, together! As mother, son, and daughter!"

To Heather, that sounded like a great idea. "This gift we share...it bonds us." She looked directly into Hiccup's eyes. "This is who you are, son," she said. She smiled back at Heather. "Who _we_ are," she said. "We will change the world for all dragons! We will make it a better, safer place!"

Hiccup laughed excitedly. "Yeah!" he said. "That sounds...amazing!"

Valka closed the gap between them and hugged her son tightly. Hiccup hesitated just a moment, but then, he wrapped his arms back around his mother and buried his face against her shoulder.

Heather watched them, standing off to the side, trying not to feel awkward. After a moment, Hiccup's hand grabbed her wrist, and he yanked her into the embrace as well. The action sent a short laugh through the group.

This was different, being hugged by her mother. Valka's arms were as familiar as a stranger's, but at the same time, there was that feeling of safety that came with being hugged by the woman. Like the first time Hiccup hugged Heather, or like the first time Stoick hugged Heather. There was something... _there_. Something unmistakable yet at the same time unexplainable.

Valka pulled away before she was ready to, and the woman stared at her two children for a good few minutes before speaking. "Alright," she said. "Now tell me. How did you two find each other?"

"It's a long story," Hiccup said.

"Well," Valka said, "that's quite alright with me. I love long stories."


	11. Chapter 11

**Smart people have schemes! Stupid people have stories! :D I HAVE BOTH! XD**

 **Hey, guys! How's it going? I just saw Fantastic 4 at the movies today. It was better than I expected it to be, and that's saying something, because I'm not a huge fan of Marvel. :) I'm more of a fantasy-type girl. :D**

 **And I no longer like doing shout-outs at the bottom of the page. Seriously, I don't like doing it, so I'm just going to do them at the top of the page. :) Shout-outs:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Thanks! I'm glad! :)**

 **LiviLovesDragons: HTTYD soundtrack is AMAZING! Like, no joke, the day after I saw the second film, I started learning soundtrack on piano. Heck, I actually learned "For the Dancing and the Dreaming" and "Where No One Goes" BEFORE I saw the second film. :D And I'm glad you like the story so far! I'm having a lot of fun writing it, so yeah. :)**

 **Tangled4ever: I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with you...**

 **clank2662: THAT is a great idea! :D :D :D Because I love writing fanfiction anyways! It works out great! EVERYONE WINS! :D :D :D**

 **HappyPup1: *checks record book* AND HappyPup1 WINS THE MOST PLEASES IN A REVIEW REWARD! XD**

 **LunarCatNinja: No spoilers yet. ;)**

 **silverwolvesarecool: I AM SO GLAD! :D :D**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: YES YES, WHAT CHANGE!? You will have to wait and find out for yourself. *rubs hands together* Don't worry, it's coming up soon. :)**

 **ParagonNight666: Yeah, I like writing about Heather! She's such an awesome character to be sure. :) Thanks for reviewing! And don't worry if it's late or anything. Seriously, don't. :D I love seeing your reviews in my inbox either way. :D**

* * *

"Well," Hiccup began, "I suppose it all started with Dagur the Deranged."

Valka made a face. "Dagur...the Deranged," she repeated. "I think I remember him. He's Oswald the Agreeable's son, isn't he?"

Heather sighed. "Well, he was," she said, "but...well...Dagur killed his father a few years back so he could rise to power."

Valka's eyes widened. "He...he did _what?"_ she blurted.

Hiccup lowered his head. "We had the same reactions," he said. "As it turns out, Dagur actually challenged his father in a contest to the death to become Chief, and Dagur won. But, of course, that means he killed his father, and...yeah."

"But what happened after that?" Valka asked. "How did you two meet, officially?"

"We actually met a few years ago," Heather said. "The first time we met, we didn't even know we were family. But if we tell you that story, we will be here quite literally _all day_ , so let's skip forward a few years. Dagur killed the village I lived in, and I was seeking out vengeance."

Heather wasn't looking forward to telling her mother the part about how she killed Dagur and his sister, but she knew that it was unavoidable. She would have to tell her mother sooner or later, and this seemed like the perfect time to, even if Heather didn't want to.

"Alright," Valka nodded. "What happened after that?"

"I ran into Hiccup and some of his friends," Heather said.

"Well," Hiccup corrected, "actually, we ran into you. Once we figured out it was Heather, we showed her back to a base we'd set up. She told us about her quest to defeat Dagur, and about a horn that belonged to her blood father."

Valka gasped. "There _was_ a horn stolen, the same night you were stolen, Heather," she said. She nodded. "Keep going?"

"Well," Hiccup went on, "Toothless was snooping around some of Heather's things, and he found the horn. That was when I realized that my Dad's Chief seal was engraved on it. So, I took the horn back to Berk to talk to my Dad about it."

"And while he was doing that," Heather said, "Hiccup's friends and I found out where Dagur's ships were, and we took our dragons to go defeat him. I had my axe aimed at Dagur's throat, ready for the kill...and that's when Hiccup jumped in and told me the truth. About the village Dagur killed being my kidnappers, that is. About how I was stolen from my parents by the people I always called my parents. How...how he was my brother."

It was so weird, retelling this story. There were so many little details that Heather simply didn't have time to add, so she just hoped that her mother could understand the story.

"That's incredible," Valka breathed. "And for all this time, I thought you were dead. I thought I would never see you again, Heather." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she shook her head. "So, what happened after you learned? What happened to Dagur?"

This was the part Heather didn't want to get into, but she knew that refusing the conversation wouldn't help. "Hiccup has a girlfriend," Heather blurted.

Valka gasped. "I can't believe it," she whispered. "I'm gone twenty years and my son has a girlfriend."

A little bit of red rushed into Hiccup's cheeks, but it vanished almost as soon as it came. "Yeah, I have a girlfriend," he said before Valka could say anything else. "Her name's Astrid. Astrid Hofferson. She's a pretty good girl if not a bit violent."

Valka nodded. "Astrid Hofferson," she repeated. "Yes, I think I knew her mother. But what does this have to do with the story?"

"Well," Heather continued, "see, Dagur drew a knife. Astrid and me were both standing next to Hiccup, and Dagur threatened to kill one of us. He told Hiccup to make the choice on who he wanted to keep: me, or Astrid. The one he didn't pick would get a knife driven through their chest."

Valka gasped quietly, looking very much like she would like to hunt down Dagur and give him what for. She looked at Hiccup, turned to Heather, and then back at Hiccup. "And you picked...who?"

"Neither," Hiccup said. "Well...actually...I told Dagur to kill Heather-"

"But he didn't mean it!" Heather cut in when Valka looked ready to shout. "He was just saying that to throw Dagur off. He had a plan to save us both."

Valka relaxed, but at the same time, she still looked confused. "And what was this plan?" she asked.

Heather looked at Hiccup. "You wanna tell her?" she asked.

"Not really," Hiccup admitted. "I'll just show her."

"Show what?" Valka questioned, her voice rising to the brink of a panic attack. "Show me what? Hiccup?"

Hiccup sighed. "This," he said. He lifted his shirt, just enough for his stomach to be exposed, and Valka gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

The scar was still there, red and a direct contrast to Hiccup's pale skin. The scar was bright, almost as if it had been recently burned, and although Heather had seen the scar many times before, she still couldn't help but gasp.

She would never get used to seeing it. She would never be able to face the reality that Hiccup chose. He put himself between her and the knife to save her life. He put himself in danger to keep her out of it, using his body like a shield.

Valka choked a sound that sounded like a strangled sob, covering her mouth with her hand. "Hiccup-" she whispered.

"Gothi said I was lucky," Hiccup said slowly, his eyes glued to the scar as if he too were shocked. "She said that if the knife went any higher, it would have punctured my lung. If it went any lower, any to the left, or even any to the right, it would have driven straight into my internal organs." He let his shirt fall again, staring back at his mother.

"He took the knife," Heather clarified as if it wasn't already obvious. "He jumped in front of me at the last second. It was horrible. It was terrifying. He..." She looked up at her brother as if the reality of what she was about to say was really catching up with her. "He almost died."

Valka looked ready to cry. In fact, Heather could actually see a few tears welling in the older woman's eyes. "And where was I?" Valka whispered hoarsely. "I might...I might have never even gotten the chance to really know you, Hiccup. If...if you'd died…"

"I didn't," Hiccup broke in. "I didn't die, Mom. I'm...I'm fine now. It was nearly two years ago. It's nothing now. I'm alright."

Heather decided not to mention how Hiccup went into shock. She decided not to mention how his wound reopened, and he lost even more blood to the point where people were surprised he had survived that long. She decided not to bring up how sick Hiccup became after the stabbing.

She didn't want to give her mother an even bigger guilt trip than she already had.

"Dagur is dead now," Heather said simply. "He challenged me to a fight to the death, and if I didn't do it, he would have killed me and Hiccup, and then, he would have killed the rest of Berk." She was trying to make killing Dagur sound like it was no big deal.

Valka looked up. "You...killed Dagur?" she whispered.

"In self defense," Hiccup said. "I don't count it as murdering if she was trying to save her life, which she was. It was Berk, or Dagur, and Heather chose Berk."

"And then I defeated Dagur's sister in a dual," Heather said. "I...I challenged her for being Chief of Berserk. And...and I won." She also tried to make this sound as casual as possible. She didn't want to come across as braggy or prideful, because she was anything but that.

"You mean…" Valka stammered. "You mean you're Chief of Berserk now?"

Hiccup put his arm around Heather's shoulders. "That's right!" he said. "And she does a pretty good job of it, too. Right now, Berk is actually in the middle of a peace treaty signing between the two islands. Thanks to Heather, peace has been restored."

Heather fought to keep from blushing. "Oh, stop it, you," she said, shoving her brother off of her. "You brought peace between the dragons and vikings, and that is a huge deal."

Valka chortled at their banter.

"But you know what, none of that really matters right now," Hiccup said, "because now that we've finally found each other, we can all go and talk to Drago, _together!"_

Heather suddenly remembered their problem. She had forgotten all about Drago Bludvist and his trappers since meeting their mother and finally getting to know her better. Now that Hiccup reminded her of the threat of the madman, she nodded.

"You're right!" she said. "Does Drago have a base or something, Mom? Do you know where it is?"

"What?" Valka asked in confusion, her smile fading ever so slightly. By the tone of her voice, she thought Heather and Hiccup were joking. When Hiccup and Heather didn't reply, she frowned. "There's no _talking_ to Drago," Valka said.

 _What?_ Heather was confused now. Her father, Chief of Berk, said that there was no talking to Drago, and her mother, who was practically Chief of all the dragons, was also saying that there was no talking to Drago.

What was so bad about Drago? Even the most powerful of people seemed scared of going up against him.

"But...but we have to-" Hiccup began.

"No," Valka cut in, shaking her head firmly in a clear motion to tell Hiccup and Heather both that her decision was final. "We must _protect_ our own."

Hiccup groaned, and Heather understood why. Stoick was always telling Hiccup that they needed to protect their own, and now, their mother was telling them the same thing. Heather imagined Hiccup was pretty annoyed by the phrase "protect our own" by this point.

She knew _she_ certainly was.

"Now come on," Valka said, gesturing to their dragons. "We should be getting back."

She mounted Cloudjumper, and Heather mounted Windshear reluctantly. Hiccup swung himself lazily towards Toothless, his posture limp and slack. Toothless grinned at him gummily like an excited puppy. He folded and unfolded his fins a few more times before finally letting Hiccup mount him.

Hiccup looked at Heather uneasily. "We have to talk to Drago," he whispered, loud enough for her to hear but not loud enough for Valka to hear. "If we don't talk to him, war will break out, Heather. You know it will, and I know it will, no matter how hard other people try to deny it. Dad said it himself. War is what Drago wants, no matter how you look at it. If we don't go to him for war, he'll come back at us with war. There's no way to avoid it...unless we change his mind."

Heather knew he was right. "As soon as we get back to the dragon sanctuary," she said, "we'll have to go out again."

Hiccup nodded. "Agreed," he said. Just like that, the dragons spread their wings, and took air.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for not updating yesterday. Some of my friends were moving, so I went to say goodbye...yeah, that was hard. But here's chapter 12, and the shout-outs to go before it! :D Shout-outs:**

 **ParagonNight666: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I like writing kind of laid back chapters in my stories, too. I'm glad you enjoy reading them. :)**

 **Markiplier is My Senpai: Yeah, I know what you mean. It has to be _something_ like that. :) **

**LunarCatNinja: It changes soon, don't worry. :)**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: We will have to see what happens! :)**

 **Drew Luczynski: Yeah, I agree. Stoick disowned Hiccup when he heard Hiccup was "throwing his lot in" with the dragons. Valka might have been banished if she had gone back for the same reason.**

 **Ultimateblack: I agree. I suppose Stoick sort of kind of told Hiccup a little bit about Drago, when he told them the story about the gathering of Chiefs when he saw Drago for the first time. I don't think Stoick really knew anything else about Drago at that point. But Valka could have shed a little bit more light on the situation. I suppose she _did_ tell Hiccup what Drago's trappers did to all the wounded dragons back at the sanctuary (like the ones that were blinded and so on). But yeah, they could have tried a little harder, at least. :/**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! :)**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: CLIMAX! WATCH OUT! :D :D :D I'm glad you love the story so much! It makes me so happy! :D**

 **LiviLovesDragons: Thank you for saying so! It means a lot to me! :D**

 **thearizona: It's not so much of a filler as it is a little bit more family bonding. I'm sure Valka would be wondering how Hiccup and Heather met, and if they didn't do it now, they would have to do it later on, and I couldn't do it later on because some of the changes I'm making to the story...no spoilers yet. *shakes finger back and forth* :)**

 **Tangled4ever: Yay! One big, happy family! :D**

 **HappyPup1: Hiccup and Heather are going to get into SERIOUS doo-doo here pretty soon if they aren't careful...BE CAREFUL!**

 **clank2662: UNDEAD DRAGONS RUUUULLLLEEE! :D :D :D**

* * *

Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins landed at Drago's camp, according to the directions given to them by Eret. As soon as they were close enough to the ground, Stormfly released Eret, and with a yelp of indignance, the trapper fell flat on his face into the snow.

He instantly tried to scramble to his feet, but Stormfly landed on top of him, her claws pinning him to the ground. Smiling, Astrid slid off her dragon's back and strode forward.

Stormfly could take care of Eret for now. She seemed to have taken a liking to him already.

Eret, unfortunately, did not feel the same way. "Aaagh!" he complained. "Okay! Look, I got you here, now get this thing off me!"

Astrid turned back at him, narrowing her eyes. "Never take a toy from a dragon," she said. She spread her hands and held them up. "Don't you know _anything?"_

"Gah!" Eret gasped loudly, struggling against Stormfly although it was in vain. "WHY DOES THIS KEEP-" Stormfly wrapped her wings around Eret, which muffled his voice so that Astrid could just barely make out the "-happening to me!?" at the end of his sentence.

She and the other dragon riders ducked low to the ground and raced towards a small slope. As soon as they reached it, they looked over it, and gasped.

A fleet of ships. Dark, black ships, with soldiers on them, shouting orders to one another while others raced off to do other tasks Astrid didn't want to think about. Ship by ship, Astrid tried to count them, but then found that it was useless. She couldn't count them without missing one, or forgetting which ones she had counted and which ones she hadn't.

She squinted down at the ship that seemed the biggest out of the fleet. Chains were strung about it and then thrown into the water, the metal pulled tight to allow no slack. Bubbles rose up from the water and popped along the surface of it. Astrid looked down at it more intently, trying to figure out what in the world was causing it.

"What's down there?" Astrid wondered out loud. Although she had been speaking to mainly herself, Fishlegs still pulled out his small stack of dragon flash cards and looked them over carefully.

"Large diameter bubbles," Fishlegs counted off, "massive lungs...cold water deep dweller...I'm thinking class five leviathan...maybe six."

Astrid took a moment to think about that. Class five? That alone was pretty big. Adding another class to it made it slightly bigger. She would have to find Hiccup and see what he could tell her about it. Maybe he could even find some way to train it. If anyone could do it, it was him.

Of course, that wouldn't help them anyway, if he'd been captured by Drago and his men already. Astrid was formulating a plan in her head, trying to decide what to do and how to break in, when suddenly, shouts erupted from all around her, following by _whiz, whiz, whiz._ Astrid spun around as soon as the sounds met her ears, and she watched as darts sank into the dragons' backs and sides.

Tranquilizers. Tranquilizers shot by dragon trappers.

She.

Hated.

Dragon.

Trappers.

Enough said.

…

Astrid really, really, really hated dragon trappers. She could never emphasize that enough. She, the others, and their dragons were now on the deck of the ship, the dragons still tranquilized while the dragon riders had their hands tied behind their backs. The ropes bit into Astrid's skin, and she ignored it as best as she could, wishing desperately that she could somehow get her axe back from the trappers that stole it from her.

And then there was Eret, who was also being held back by Drago's men, although Astrid couldn't figure out why, exactly. Not that she cared.

She wanted to shout, to yell, to scream, to throw insults to the men aboard the ship, but then, one man stepped forward, and the soldiers parted a path for him to come through. He had long, dark hair that was in dreadlocks; not unlike Tuffnut's, but at the same time, completely different. Scars ran across the man's face sporadically and in no specific order. A cloak hung around his shoulders, half of it covering his right arm. It was silver, almost, and looked almost like…

Scales.

Dragon scales.

This was Drago Bludvist. Astrid figured that out easily. What Stoick said about him being covered in scars, and wearing the cloak of dragon skin...plus, there was an atmosphere that hung around the tall, muscular man that would have made almost anyone want to do what he said.

That would explain why Eret had his mind so set on doing what Drago wanted. Astrid understood. Eret was like a slave, almost. All the dragon trappers were like slaves. Some of them might have done it willingly while others were forced, but they were all slaves. All under the power of someone who would have no problem killing them, and probably no guilt afterwards, either.

"Drago!" Eret said, sounding way too cheerful for his own good. He jerked away from the soldiers holding him, demanding, "Get off me!" as he went. As soon as he finished making his break away, he laughed. "Always great to see you, my friend!" Eret said. "Keeping warm up here?"

Drago didn't answer. He continued walking forward, towards the trapper, who was beginning to look worried and frightened. "Well!" he said. "As you can see, I'm here right on time with a new batch of dragons, just like I promised!"

Astrid couldn't help but notice how...desperate he sounded. She would have pitied him if he wasn't on the bad side.

Then, suddenly, Hookfang stirred and let out a roar of fury when he realized he was chained down and unable to move. "Watch out!" a soldier shouted as he and a few others sprang away from Hookfang. "He's waking up! Keep him steady!"

More soldiers jumped in and grabbed the ropes and chains, pulling on them hard so they could slam Hookfang back to the ground. Astrid looked back at Snotlout, and the boy's fury was not hidden.

"Give me some backup here!" another soldier shouted.

"Watch out!" someone else yelped.

"Drop the ropes," Drago ordered. Astrid winced at the sound of his voice. It was gravelly and dark and deep, almost as though he had swallowed a bucket of nails.

Hookfang glared at Drago, sucked in a deep intake of air, and blasted fire straight at him. Astrid thought for a moment that it was the end of Drago Bludvist, but it was all wishful thinking, she supposed, because Drago pulled his dragon skin cloak in front of him to shield himself from the dragon's fire, and continued walking forward.

Hookfang finally backed off, and when he did, Drago pulled out a large staff, and screamed, swinging the staff in the air over his head. Astrid wanted to cover her ears. The man's terrible voice _paled_ in comparison to how terrible his screaming sounded.

Hookfang lowered his head to the ground, just as Drago reached him. Drago then lifted his foot and pressed it against Hookfang's snout. Hookfang didn't even fight back.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted angrily.

"HEY!" Ruffnut protested, but no one was listening to either her or Snotlout.

"What are you doing!?" Astrid demanded, hoping that her voice was enough to make at least _one_ of the soldiers turn and answer her, or at least _notice_ her, but none of them did.

Drago leaned close to Hookfang's face, staring the dragon in the eyes. "You belong to _me_ now," he said.

There were a few moments of silence, and then, Eret spoke up. "And as an added bonus," he said in a very businessmen type manner, "I also caught you their riders. No extra charge!"

"What!?" Astrid exclaimed. Eret didn't _capture_ them. _They_ captured _Eret_ and _forced_ him to show them the way to Drago. That's the only way the trappers got their hands on the dragon riders. "Are you kidding me!?" she yelled.

"Aww, but you were so perfect!" Ruffnut complained.

 _This is hardly the time, Ruffnut,_ Astrid thought to herself, making a mental note to give that Thorston girl what for the instant they were free.

Eret continued talking. "Turns out," he said, "there's a whole bunch of them out there. They're-"

Eret never got to finish what he was saying, because Drago lurched forward, his hand snaking out, his meaty fingers closing into a death grip around Eret's neck. Eret opened his mouth as if to gasp, his hands clawing at Drago's.

"How many?" Drago snarled, right in his face.

Astrid didn't pity the trapper whom Drago was currently strangling. Hiccup would have pitied him, but not Astrid. "Drago doesn't have them after all," she whispered to herself. Hiccup, Heather, Stoick, and Gobber were not in Drago's clutches.

Maybe it was time for her to come up with a plan of her own.

"HOW MANY!?" Drago roared, holding Eret even tighter if possible.

"Hundreds!" Astrid shouted in place of Eret, taking a confident step forward while Drago turned in her direction, his horrible, sunken eyes staring straight into hers. "A whole island full!"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Eret choked out desperately. "My men are hunting them down...as we speak. They won't know where you're hiding. I promise you that."

"Oh, yes they will!" Astrid continued, taking another step forward. Drago dropped Eret back onto the deck, his full attention on Astrid. Astrid stepped forward again. Confidence. She had to be confident. "They know we're missing, and they have tracking dragons. If you so much as _touch us_ , Hiccup is gonna _kick_ -"

"Hic-cup?" Drago said in disgust, testing the name on his tongue and saying it as though it were a curse word.

"He's not a problem!" Eret gasped, rubbing his bruised throat tenderly. "Really. Trust me."

"He's only the son of Stoick the Vast!" Astrid bragged, making sure her voice was loud enough for everyone on the ship to hear. "His heir to the throne of Berk...and the greatest Dragon Master this world has ever seen!"

Well, Hiccup _was_ all of those things, and so many other things Astrid could brag about.

"Dragon Master?" Drago repeated. Astrid nodded, and Drago stepped forward, right in her face. "I, _ALONE_ , control the dragons!" he said, and then smiled smugly.

"Nope," Tuffnut said, shaking his head and closing his eyes. "Mmm-nnn."

"Sorry!" Fishlegs said with a half-laugh.

"And unless you let us go, _right now_ ," Astrid continued, "he will _blast_ through here on his Night Fury, and blow your entire fleet of ships to _splinters!"_ She thought for a few more moments. Hiccup wasn't the _only_ rider who was intimidating. "And don't get me started on his sister!" Astrid went on. "Her name is Heather, Chief of the Berserker tribe, and that title was earned when she killed the previous Chief, and his sister! Not to mention she is _also_ the daughter of Stoick the Vast. Together, Hiccup and Heather are an unstoppable team. They will destroy your fleet as if it were childsplay!"

"Then they'll be crying like babies!" Ruffnut giggled.

"Funny _and_ beautiful," Snotlout said, bumping his shoulder against Snotlout's.

"Good one, babe!" Fishlegs said.

Ruffnut made a noise in disgust and tried to move away from them, but to no avail. Astrid was annoyed by Fishlegs and Snotlout at this point. They were always annoying when they were fighting over Ruffnut, but this was really a bad time.

"Yeah," Tuffnut said. "Like babies. They always cry. Real tiny ones…"

Drago grabbed Eret again, holding him tightly by his throat just as Eret got his breath back. "First there was one rider," Drago snarled. "And now, all of Berk. And you lead them to me!" He threw Eret across the deck, and soldiers moved out of the way, leaving Eret to crash to the wooden floorboards.

"Drago!" Eret cried, sounding very pathetic. Astrid wondered if maybe, just maybe, Eret wasn't all heartless. Maybe he was terrified of Drago. Maybe that was all it was.

But she wasn't going to trust him. No. She didn't think she would ever truly trust him.

"STOP ALL PREPARATIONS!" Drago commanded his soldiers in a loud, demeaning voice. "WE MUST ATTACK THE DRAGON RIDER'S NEST AT ONCE!" He was savoring it, clearly enjoying every moment of everything he was saying. It made Astrid want to gag. "WE WILL TAKE DOWN THEIR ALPHA!" Drago went on. "AND THEN, WE WILL TAKE _BERK!"_

Astrid could have sworn her heart skipped a beat. _Oh no_. She'd revealed too much, perhaps. Yes, she was certain now that she had revealed too much. What was Drago going to do with her and the others? Was Hiccup even looking for them? Eret had said his men were hunting him down...what if he was already captured?

"Drago!" Eret said once again.

"And get rid of him!" Drago ordered.

Soldiers around them took up weapons and got ready to throw them. Eret looked ready to cry. "Oh, Drago please…" he begged.

One of Drago's men threw the weapon straight at Eret, but at the last second, a blur of blue scales ran in the way and shielded the trapper.

 _Stormfly_.

Astrid didn't have time to shout or yell at her dragon to get back before another soldier shot a dart at the Nadder. Another tranquilizer. Stormfly collapsed to the deck, sleeping instantly.

"Stormfly!" Astrid cried. "No!" Men held her back as she tried to run forward towards her dragon.

She'd spilled too much. Way too much.

She'd just made it worse for everybody.

 _I'm sorry,_ she thought. _I'm so sorry_.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, guys, I have a question:**

 **Was it just me that was having problems with fanfiction yesterday? Like, whenever I loaded the main archive, it said that "there were no results" and "please change your filter"? I know there was one other person who had a problem with it...but I was just wondering if anyone else had the struggle, too. That was so weird...**

 **Well, I'm glad it's fixed now. That's all I have to say. :D Shout-outs:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Yeah, at least her intentions were good. :)**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yeah, Berserk has dragons. Oh boy...**

 **clank2662: It's coming out in 2018, right? Wow, I'll probably be driving by then...wow. I'll drive myself to the theater, watch the movie, and I WILL CRY. I WILL CRY THROUGHOUT IT, OH MY GOSH. :)**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Heh heh, thanks! :D**

 **HappyPup1: *hands you golden metal* Congratulations! I think you DID break the record for most pleases in a single review! Well done! :D**

 **Ultimateblack: Oh, I will. I'll make sure Astrid tells Hiccup and Heather about what she did...honestly, I wish they would have done that in the film, but I guess they really didn't have that much time to put in all the little tiny things like that...oh well. But I'm glad you like reading this AU. I like writing it. :)**

 **Toothless801: Aww, thanks! And I'm sorry about your friend...friends that move away will ALWAYS be in our hearts. No matter what happens, or how far they are. I've had my share of moving friends. It's always hard, but it's like, they're never really gone. They always leave some part of themselves behind. Maybe that sounds weird, but it's how I feel. :) And yeah, it wasn't until I saw the film for the third time did I realize Astrid's mistake. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. XD :) I'm glad you liked it. Also: regarding making a fanfiction account, no, you don't have to write a story in order to have one. All you have to do is create an account. Writing stories is optional. When you first open Fanfiction, all you have to do is look at the top right corner of the page where it says "Log In | Sign Up", and then hit "Sign Up", type in what they ask you to, and there you go! :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: You're not alone in your hatred, Astrid! We ALL hate the dragon trappers! :) Thanks for the review, and you're welcome for the shout-out! :) Reviews make me smile, so the least I can do is give you guys a shout-out. :)**

 **thearizona: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. :) Thanks for the review and everything! :D**

 **LiviLovesDragons: I LOVE recapping this movie! It's amazingly fun! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME YESTERDAY! YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE! It was so weird! They said I have to change my filter or whatever...I'm just glad they fixed it. That's all I have to say. :) It's good to hear from ya, by the way! I don't think I ever said that. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Drew Luczynski: Yeah, we still love her, even if she DID make everything worse for everyone. :)**

* * *

Toothless and Windshear were sleeping soundly on the plateau, curled into themselves right behind where Hiccup and Heather were standing. Baby Scuttleclaws suddenly bounded on top of the snoozing dragons, waking them instantly.

Heather tightened the straps to her armor, and next to her, Hiccup did the same thing, checking each one of the attachments and making sure he still had Inferno. Heather looked at him, feeling slightly reluctant about their decision of leaving so quickly.

"Hey, Hiccup," she said, "are you sure we have to leave so soon? I...I mean...we could always stick around for a few more minutes...or at least say goodbye to Mom…"

Even as she spoke, she knew saying goodbye to Valka wasn't a good idea. They had to leave in secret, and they had to do it before Valka caught them in the act. If Valka was as protective as Stoick, she would most likely set packs of dragons to watch Hiccup and Heather just to make sure they didn't leave.

But at the same time, it felt wrong, just to leave their mother without telling her where they were going. It just felt... _wrong_. Heather didn't know why.

Hiccup shook his head, like she knew he would. "No, we can't," he said. "We're not waiting around for Drago to attack this place. Eret already said that Drago knows where the cave is...there isn't time to waste, Heather. We've gotta find him first."

Heather sighed, mostly to herself, because she knew her brother was right. She nodded. "And then after we find Drago and talk him - or fight him - out of the whole 'dragon army' business, we'll come back, right?" she said.

Hiccup nodded. "Yes," he said. "We'll come back." A baby Scuttleclaw bit Toothless' tail in its gummy jaws, and Toothless lifted his tail and the dragon clear off the ground, snarling at the baby one. Windshear scared it off, and the Scuttleclaw complained in little grunts and chirps as it flew away.

"Come on," Hiccup said. "Let's go."

Heather nodded. She was about to turn around and jump on Windshear's back, but suddenly, she saw, in the corner of her eye, her brother jerked backwards. There were muffled cries; something must have been covering his mouth.

All this happened in a split second, because the very next thing she knew it, Heather had her axe drawn and aimed at...her father?

And so it _was_ her father, who had his hand clamped over Hiccup's mouth, pulling the young man against him. Toothless snarled at Stoick, and then relaxed when he realized who it was.

Hiccup clawed at his father's grip on his face, and eventually broke away, stumbling forward to stand beside Heather again.

"Are you kidding me!?" he blurted.

"Dad!?" Heather yelped. "What - what are you doing here!?"

" _How_ did you get in here!?" Hiccup demanded.

Heather was thinking the same way. She knew the Berkians had tracking dragons, but at the same time, it seemed weird that they just suddenly _barged in here_ without anyone even noticing.

Well, at the same time, Heather guessed that her father could have snuck in here easily on his dragon.

"The same way we're getting you two out," Stoick replied.

"WE!?" Hiccup and Heather exclaimed in unison.

"All clear!" an accented voice called from behind them, and Hiccup and Heather looked as Gobber motioned for Stoick and the two dragon riders to follow him, waving his hook at them for extra emphasis.

Stoick grabbed Hiccup's wrist and held it tightly, and then, he grabbed Heather's wrist as well. His grip was hard and tight, and she knew that no amount of jerking or wriggling would free herself from the tight clasp.

"Toothless," Stoick began in a commanding tone, "Windshear, come." He then turned and followed Gobber, practically dragging Hiccup and Heather along with him. Heather tried to keep up with with her father's long strides, but it wasn't working very well. Hiccup was stumbling across from her, speaking constantly, trying to get his father's attention.

"Ah, Dad!" he said. "There's something you need to know!"

That's when Heather realized exactly where they were heading: straight for a cave which Valka had said she would be going earlier. Stoick didn't know his wife was alive. Stoick didn't know that she had survived.

"Dad!" Heather shouted when Hiccup's yelling got them nowhere. "Listen to him! Or if you won't listen to him listen to _me_! Your-"

"Yeah, yeah," Stoick said as he continued dragging his rebellious, stubborn children through the tunnels with the dragons following them closely. "Tell me on the way."

"This isn't an on-the-way kind of update, actually, Dad!" Hiccup tried.

"I've heard enough, Hiccup," Stoick said.

"It's more of the earth shattering development variety!" Heather insisted.

"I've heard enough from you too, Heather," Stoick said in a flat tone as if he had said it a hundred times.

"DAD!" Hiccup complained.

"Yeah, just add it to the pile," Stoick muttered.

"Dad, unlike most surprises I spring on you," Hiccup said slowly, "this is one you'll like, I promise! You just have to handle it delicately, so…"

His voice trailed off when they realized that Gobber had stopped in front of the opening to what looked like a cave, staring inside it with a look of shock. Heather froze. This was it. Stoick was going to see their mother for the first time in twenty years.

She wasn't quite sure what to feel about that.

"Uh…" Gobber said quietly, "you _miiiiggghhht_ want to take this one. Oh boy." He continued walking, straight past Stoick and Heather and Hiccup. Stoick released the youths' wrists at length, just to draw his sword instead.

Hiccup and Heather panicked both at once. "Oh, Dad, can you put the sword away?" Hiccup practically begged. "Please?"

Then, Stoick stepped through the opening, and his eyes widened. He stood as still as a tree, his eyes remaining wide, his expression entirely unreadable. Hesitantly, Heather put her hand on his and pried his fingers away from the hilt of his sword. This was surprisingly easy, and his sword clattered against the ground almost instantly.

Stoick took his helmet off his head and set that to the side as well, keeping his eyes fixated at the sight before him.

Valka looked back at him with the same shocked expression, but she didn't look as shocked to see him as Heather would have expected.

"I know what you're going to say, Stoick," Valka said quietly; the first of the two to speak. "How could I have done this? Stayed away all these years...and why didn't I come back to you?" Her voice cracked, just slightly, and Heather didn't fail to notice it. Valka looked at Hiccup, and then at Heather. "To the children who never even knew me?" she continued.

Stoick took a step forward.

"Well," Valka went on slowly, "what sign did I have that you could change, Stoick?" Stoick continued walking, his feet never stilling. "That _anyone_ on Berk could? I pleaded...I pleaded, _so many_ times to stop the fighting, to find another answer, but did any of you listen?"

"This is why I never married," Gobber commented.

Heather elbowed him harshly. _Shut up_.

"I know that I left you to raise Hiccup alone," Valka said, sounding on the verge of tears. "I know everything he went through. I know he found Heather, our daughter. I know I never even came back, to see if you had changed...but I thought my family would be better off without me."

Stoick was close enough to reach out and touch her at this point, and Valka's voice grew panicked and desperate. "And I was wrong," she said. "I see that now, but…" She looked terrified. Absolutely terrified. "Oh, stop being so _stoic_ , Stoick!" she pleaded. "Go on. Shout! Scream! Say _something!"_

Stoick reached out his hand and put it gently against her cheek, as if she would vanish like a cloud of steam or shatter like glass. Valka stiffened, her eyes filling with tears.

There was a beat. And then, Stoick whispered in the most quiet, gentle tone Heather had ever heard him use. His voice cracked multiple times as he spoke. "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."

The tears finally broke free. Valka lowered her head and shut her eyes, tears slipping past her lids. Stoick closed the gap between them, and their lips met.

Heather felt her heart flutter wildly in her chest. Her parents...her _family_ , was finally being pieced back together. She was finally seeing her mother, father, and brother in the same place, finally seeing them happier than she had ever seen anyone before in her life.

Since the situation seemed appropriate enough, she wrapped her arm around Hiccup's shoulders, and in turn, he did the same, smiling at their mother and father with glistening eyes.

They were together again.

Just like they were always meant to be.

…

Astrid was certain that if she made a list of all the bad days she struggled through in her life, this day would be at the top of said list.

She and the others (and Eret, but he didn't count in her mind, because he was a traitor and a jerk to say the least) stood at the stern of the ship. A long, wooden plank was positioned with one end on the ship and the other end hanging over the deep, restless ocean. Soldiers stood behind them with spears, ready to use them should the riders try anything tricky.

"Could this day get any worse?" Snotlout groaned from behind her.

"Uh, let me see," Tuffnut said slowly. "You'll jump into freezing cold water and then die from drowning."

Astrid sighed. The male twin was being so nonchalant about the entire affair. It was beyond annoying.

Eret stepped towards the edge of the plank and looked over the side of it, staring down at the water. "Looks refreshing," he muttered under his breath as he turned back to face Astrid again. "Please," he said, stepping out of the way. "Ladies first."

Astrid bared her teeth. She _hated_ him. She absolutely hated him for everything he had done to her and her friends. It was his fault they were here. It was all his stupid fault. Him and his trappers ruined her day.

"You," she began threateningly, "are a steaming heap of dragon-"

"Duck," Eret whispered.

He swung his foot before she could ask what he meant, and she ducked on instinct. Eret's leg connected with the soldier's head, knocking him unconscious. Eret grabbed the spear the soldier had been carrying, holding it in his bound hands. He swung it at another soldier, and another, and another, and before Astrid even knew what the heck was happening, the soldiers were unconscious.

 _What in the name of-_

Eret unchained himself easily. It was then that Astrid noticed a soldier speak to another soldier; "Warn the others", and then, said soldier ran off.

Eret noticed it at the same moment she did, and he picked up one of the tranquilizer dart shooters and ran towards the soldier.

"Get 'em, you son of an Eret!" Ruffnut encouraged.

Astrid didn't know what was happening, and she still had about a million questions for Eret. Both soldiers were unconscious as soon as Eret finished with them, and the dragon trapper turned back towards Astrid and the other dragon riders.

"Okay, I love you again," Ruffnut said happily.

Snotlout looked hurt.

"Ugh," Tuffnut said as he stepped beside the depressed Jorgenson. _"Pathetic_. You can still jump."

Astrid disregarded her friends, her attention now on Eret.

Eret smiled. "So," he said, are we going to save you dragons and get out of here or not?"

Astrid couldn't help the small smile that played across her face. Hiccup really _could_ change anyone's mind about dragons. All it took was a little tiny bit of doubt about how bad dragons really were, and then, that tiny bit of question turned into rebellion against the ones who tried to control the dragons for their own evil doing.

Eret was on their side, and Astrid was going to accept his help if he was truly willing to give it. She nodded.

"Check every trap," Eret ordered. "They're here somewhere."

They didn't need to be told twice. They spread out as if they had did it every day and began prying traps open, pulling levers, and checking inside for any sign of their dragons.

Astrid turned one of the cranks to the dome-shaped, bear-trap-like cage and waited for it to open just a crack before stepping on the handle and hauling herself upwards so she could peer inside.

What she saw was a familiar Gronckle, smiling happily and wriggling against its chains in an attempt at getting free.

"Meatlug?" Astrid asked, just for clarification, and when the Gronckle squealed happily, Astrid dropped to the ground, and began working to undo the dragon's bonds.

Eret cranked one of the handles, turning it with all his might to open another dragon cage they had located. "Anyone coming?" he demanded of Ruffnut, who was watching just a foot away from him, not offering any help whatsoever.

"I don't know, you just keeping doing what you're doing," she said, almost creepily. "Keep cranking."

Eret ignored her, and then the cage was opened, he jumped inside. And there was Stormfly, Astrid's Nadder, who had saved his life.

At first, the dragon struggled, but then, she calmed down. Eret looked at the Deadly nadder, crouched down, and extended his hand towards her. "Thank you," he said, "for saving my life."

Stormfly looked at him curiously for just a moment before she pressed her head against Eret's hand. Eret felt his breath quicken, and he smiled. "Now let me return the favor," he said.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello.**

 **Sorry it took so long. I've been depressed and really kind of struggling with...well...life. So, yeah. I really don't have anything else to say right now other than enjoy chapter 14! :) I'll try to do shout-outs in the next chapter. :) Thank you all for your continued support!**

* * *

"Mom, you'd never even recognize it!" Hiccup said excitedly as he crossed the room, a wooden tray in hand. "Where we used to make weapons, we now build saddles, wing slings…" Hiccup reached into a basket of fish, taking some out and putting them on the tray. "We even fix dragon teeth!" he said with a laugh.

Heather batted Toothless' head when she caught the dragon trying to snag fish out of the basket, and Toothless looked at her innocently, obviously in a way of saying, _What? I didn't do that_.

Heather rolled her eyes, and then refocused her attention back on her family. "And the Berserkers!" she added, secretly pulling a fish out of the basket and throwing it to Windshear while no one else was looking. Toothless gave her a betrayed look, but she pretended not to notice it. "They're more behaved than ever!"

"She's right!" Hiccup agreed, handing the tray of fish to his mother. "Even when Oswald was Chief, the Berserkers were always a bit...well…"

"Berserk?" Heather offered.

"Yes!" Hiccup said, pointing a finger in her direction. "Exactly that! But since Heather's become Chief, she's really whipped them into shape! Even the Berserkers have dragons now, and they love them! Most of them are wondering why they ever let Dagur be Chief in the first place."

This whole time, Valka and Stoick were watching their children with amusement as the two ranted and bragged about how much had changed since Valka was taken. All in all, Valka was quite impressed by the two dragon riders.

"Your children have changed Berk for the better," Stoick said proudly, laying his hands on his wife's shoulders. "I think we did well with these two, Val."

"Thanks, Dad," Hiccup said, while at the same time, Heather said, "Thank you."

Valka attempted to carry the tray, but, she stumbled over a very misfortunate placed stone and lost her balance for a few moments. The plate tipped, the fish dumping onto the floor. Cloudjumper got to it only moments before Toothless did, scooping the food up into his mouth before Toothless even had the chance.

Toothless looked up at Cloudjumper sadly, and apparently, the older dragon felt bad for the Night Fury, because he regurgitated fish back onto the ground for the black dragon. Toothless was more than happy to accept the more-or-less chewed pieces of what used to be cod, slurping it up off the ground.

Heather winced, and Hiccup only laughed softly. It wasn't long before Heather joined in. They both understood the behavior of dragons, and were used to watching dragons regurgitate food for each other.

Still, though…

"That was kinda gross," Heather commented.

Hiccup shrugged. "It's even more gross when you know what it tastes like," he shivered.

Heather turned to him, confused. Even though they were brother and sister, there were still so many things he hadn't talked to her about. Little things, probably insignificant things, but things she felt the need to know. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Hiccup shuddered and squeezed her shoulder. "Let's just say I've had some unfortunate dragon bonding experiences while training Toothless," he said plainly.

Heather didn't even want to _know_.

Valka laughed nervously, and the sister and the brother turned to look at their mother. "I'm…" Valka sighed. "I'm a little out of practice."

"Well, you know," Stoick said, pausing as if to savor every word he was saying, "I didn't marry you for your cooking."

 _Aww_ , Heather thought. She never thought of herself being the type of girl to "aww" when she watched a man and a woman talk about how much they loved each other, but with her mother and father, it was different. This was a man reuniting with his wife after thinking she was dead for twenty years.

It was amazing to watch.

"I hope not!" Gobber said, ruining the moment. Valka handed another tray of fish to Hiccup, and Hiccup instantly took it and approached his mentor, setting the tray to the side. "Her meatballs could kill more beasts than a battle axe!" the blacksmith went on. "I've still got a few knocking around in here." He pat his stomach and chuckled lightly.

Gobber took a bite of the fish, grimaced in disgust, and quietly fed what was left on his plate to Grump.

"And once you move back in with all your dragons," Heather said, almost excitedly, "oh, Drago won't stand a chance." Honestly, she didn't see how between the Berserkers, Valka's dragons, Berk's dragons, and the Berkians Drago would stand a chance, even if he did have an army. Heather had never actually seen Drago face-to-face before, but she didn't think he was capable of doing anything that would defeat her people, and Stoick's people.

"That's right," Hiccup agreed slowly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Everything will be okay!" he said, shutting his eyes and gesturing with his hand to nothing in particular.

Heather couldn't help but agree, but when she looked at her father, she saw him shaking his head, smiling faintly. "Slow down, you two," he said, moving to stand behind them. "It's a lot to take in."

"Oh," Hiccup and Heather said quietly, almost in perfect unison. Hiccup let his arm drop back to his side, twiddling his fingers uneasily. Heather looked down at the ground, unsure of what to do.

"Gotcha," Hiccup said at length, but at this point, no one was listening to him. Valka stepped towards one of the icicles that jutted from the ceiling, a wooden pitcher in hand. She set it under the dripping icicle and held it there as if oblivious to her family for the first time since they were reunited.

Then, to Heather's confusion and slight delight, Stoick pulled away from her and Hiccup, and began whistling.

The whistle was quiet and serene, very peaceful and tranquil. A tone softer than any other noise Heather had ever heard come from her father. She and Hiccup, as silent as possible, stepped back towards Gobber, Heather at his left and Hiccup at his right.

"Oh, I love this one," Gobber said, almost dreamily as Stoick continued whistling. Heather didn't recognize the tune her father was whistling, but some part of it felt...familiar. Like something she had seen in a dream.

The whistling came to a quiet end, and Stoick took the pitcher from Valka's hands, setting it to the side. Valka leaned against a smooth rock that was serving as a countertop, breathing almost heavily.

"Remember our song, Val?" Stoick whispered. Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he paused, and then began singing. "I'll swim and sail on savage seas," he sang softly. "With ne'er a fear of drowning…"

Now that Heather heard the words, she knew what the song was. It was a commonly sung song during weddings and renewals of vows. She glanced over at Hiccup and realized that the boy must have realized the same thing at the same time as she did, because he smiled even bigger, his eyes fixated on his mother and father.

"...And gladly ride the waves of life," Stoick continued, his voice lowering only slightly. "If you will marry me." He paused and took a breath, taking Valka's hands in his own. "No scorching sun," he went on, his voice rising, "nor freezing cold, will-"

"Will stop me on my jour-" Gobber began excitedly, waving his hand. Heather, Hiccup, and Stoick alike glared at him, and Gobber's face twisted into embarrassment. "-Ney," he finished lamely. "Sorry."

Heather elbowed him, and Hiccup shook his head in silent shame.

Sighing only slightly, Stoick went on, "If you will promise me your heart…" He paused, hesitating only for a moment before continuing. "And love…?" he asked hopefully, nodding in a silent "okay" for Valka to sing her part of the duet.

But Valka remained silent, and Stoick sighed, looking back at the ground sadly. Heather felt her heart drop. She had been certain. So very certain that her mother would sing the duet with her father.

She too let her posture droop. So much for that.

"And love me for eternity…"

Hold up.

That was her mother's voice, beautiful and calming and soothing all at once. Heather jerked her head up in their direction, watching as Stoick's features softened and Valka turn towards her husband.

She took a shallow, shuddering breath, and then continued. "My dearest one, my darling dear," she sang, "your mighty words astound me...but I've no need of mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me."

The song began to pick up, and without missing a beat, Stoick took his wife's hands in his and continued singing. "But I would bring you rings of gold. I'd even sing you poetry-"

"Oh, would you?" Valka laughed.

"-And I would keep you from all harm!" Stoick went on. "If you would stay beside me!"

"I have no use for rings of gold!" Valka continued singing, the tempo of the song picking up just a little more. "I care not for your poetry! I only want your hand to hold!"

"I only want you near me!" Stoick sang.

Then, they began singing together as one voice, as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times. The tune modulated, and the tempo became faster. "To love and kiss to sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming!" they said in unison.

Gobber stood up and began dancing with himself as Stoick and Valka continued. "Through all life's sorrows and delights, I'll keep your love inside me!"

Gobber grabbed Heather's wrist and pulled her up with him, despite her feverish protests. Hiccup laughed, but his laughing was ended abruptly when Heather glared at him and yanked him up with them as well. Hiccup stumbled on the first few steps as he was yanked around as though he were the end of a whip, but he was laughing the entire time.

Heather couldn't help but laugh as well. This was incredible. This was amazing.

This was what it was like to have a real family.

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas," Valka and Stoick continued, the tempo getting even faster as they did the final verse, "with ne'er a fear of drowning. And gladly ride the waves of life, if you will marry me!"

Gobber finally released Heather, which resulted in her and Hiccup tumbling into each other and crashing against Toothless, who then crashed into Windshear. Gobber, oblivious to the two of them, continued holding the word "me" out as if his life depended on it.

"I'M STILL GOIIIIIIINNNNGGGGG-" Gobber went on.

At length, Heather and Hiccup finally got to their feet, and once they did, they elbowed the blacksmith.

"Gobber!" Heather laughed.

"Okay, I'm done," Gobber said.

They stood there, breathing heavily for a few moments and regaining their breath. Heather couldn't think; her mind was blank, like a sheet of paper. She wanted to think something, but nothing came to mind.

Well, nothing but the feeling of overwhelming joy that was overcoming the rest of her senses.

"I thought I'd have to die before we could have done that dance again," Stoick said breathlessly and very... _dreamily_.

"No need for drastic measures," Valka said reassuringly.

"For you, my dear," Stoick got down on one knee, "anything." He took her hand, holding it in his large ones. "Will you come home, Val?" he asked. "Will you be my wife once again?"

Valka's eyes softened, but she didn't say anything. Heather could see tears beginning to build in the woman's eyes.

"We can be a family!" Stoick said, standing up, putting his arms around Hiccup and Heather's shoulders and pulling them against his sides, his eyes on his wife at all times. "What do you say?"

Toothless bumped Valka from behind, and Valka chuckled softly. "Yes," she said, and that one word was filled with more emotion than any other word Heather had ever heard.

"Great!" Gobber walked up from behind them. "I'll do the cooking!"

The joke sent a laugh through the group. Hiccup and Heather broke away, letting their parents have some time to themselves. Hiccup and Heather stood beside their dragons once again.

"This is incredible," Heather breathed, saying the thing they were all thinking.

"I know," Hiccup said in the same breathy voice. He exhaled sharply through his nose, running his hands through his hair. "I've kinda forgot what it's like to have a mother." He looked at her through his bangs and smiled.

She smiled back.

"Thank Odin you didn't listen to me," Stoick said from across the cave. "We never would've found each other."

Hiccup opened his mouth to respond, but then, all at once, Toothless and Windshear bared their teeth and growled towards the mouth of the cave. Heather's smile quickly turned into a frown, and she stared at her dragon in confusion.

"Windshear?" she questioned. "What's wrong?"

"Toothless!" Hiccup said, putting himself in front of his dragon. "What's happening?"

Toothless didn't have a chance to answer. Outside the cave, they heard the sounds of dragons roaring in terror. Valka shoved past her family, raced outside the mouth of the cave, and ran to the edge of the cliffside.

Heather, Stoick, and Hiccup followed her closely, and they skidded to an abrupt stop as soon as they saw what was happening.

A fleet of ships surrounded the ice structure, bigger than any fleet Heather had ever seen before in her life. Bigger than the Berserker's fleet. Bigger than Berk's fleet.

This, was Drago's fleet. It didn't take a genius to figure out that much.

"Oh no," Hiccup whispered.

"Oh no" was right. Heather and her brother were finally going to come face-to-face with Drago Bludvist.

And they were going to do it on the line of battle.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! :) Long time no see, heh heh...Well, I had a few killer headaches for a few days, so that's probably a big part of my lack of updates. I'm kinda living off beef broth right now...oh it tastes sooooooo good when you're sick! I love beef broth so much! :) So...shout-outs:**

 **ParagonNight666: Oh I love that song so much. I bought the soundtrack as soon as I saw the second film, and I've fallen in love with it ever since. :) I love soundtrack. HTTYD2 and HTTYD probably have the best soundtrack to any movie I've ever heard. :) And don't feel depressed yourself, either! Don't be sad. I know how it is, and it stinks. If you need to talk to someone, you can talk to me about it. Don't feel the way I feel, and I'll do my best to not feel depressed as well. :)**

 **Ultimateblack: I know! Animated movie deaths are SO SAD. I don't get it! So heartwrenching...I don't cry over the death of a character as much as I cry about the other character's reactions. Like when Mufasa died in the Lion King, when Simba was like, "Dad, come on! We need to go home!", and then when Hiccup was screaming, "DAD!" after Stoick's death...aaahhh, so many feels.**

 **Drew Luczynski: I know, right? Drago has THE WORST timing in the world.**

 **AnimeAngel: Aww, thank you for the cookies! *takes cookies* *shares with you* Cookies are amazing. I love them. :) I love For the Dancing and the Dreaming. I love that song so much, seriously. I listened to it before I even saw the second film, and I learned it on piano before I saw HTTYD2, too, because I loved it so much. :)**

 **HappyPup1: First the pleases, and now the smiley faces? Wow, you're breaking records all the time! :D**

 **Tangled4ever: Not good, not good, not good...warning, warning, warning...**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! Here comes the climax...**

 **Silver Electricity: Why did Stoick have to DIE!? WHY!? *sobs forever and ever etc.***

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: I KNOOOW! THAT WAS MY FAVORITE SCENE, TOO! Well, actually, all the scenes are my favorite, sooo...yeah. They're ALL my favorite! :) I'm glad you liked it! And as far as killing Stoick goes...well...we'll have to wait and see what happens. I will reveal nothing yet.**

 **Guest: I'm afraid I cannot reveal anything about the death of Stoick quite yet. You will have to wait and see what happens.**

 **Toothless801: Aww, thank you so much! :D *happy dance* *steps on Lego* OWWWW! OW OW OW OW OW! *hops on one foot* Ow! Legos are KILLER! RANDOM! :D I LOVED this scene! Writing it was AMAZINGLY FUN. It took me a while, given, but it was fun! :D I'm glad you enjoyed reading it! I loved writing it! :) I'm glad it was worth the wait, because that wait was kind of long. :) Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **LiviLovesDragons: Thanks! I was beaming while writing it as well! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Here it comes...*bites fingernails with worry as well***

* * *

Heather felt like panicking, but at the same time, she knew panicking wouldn't help their situation. Besides, she was the Chief of Berserk; she knew how to keep her cool, and she knew even more how to keep from panicking, especially during battle. She had fought Dagur and his insane sister before. She knew how important it was to keep a level head.

She knocked her fist into her palm, narrowing her eyes at the fleet of ships before her. "We can take 'em," she said determinedly. "Come on."

She was about to mount Windshear, when her mother spun around on her heel and stormed back into the cave. Heather tilted her head in confusion. Stoick instantly ran in front of Valka, trying to stop her.

"Val, Val, it's alright, alright," he repeated over and over again until finally his wife stopped. "We're a team now, now what do you want us to do?"

"We have to save the dragons," Valka said instantly, her voice sharper than Heather had ever heard it so far.

"Aye, you got it," Stoick said, turning as soon as the words left his mouth. "Come on, son!" he called behind him, and Hiccup chased after his father, followed quickly by Toothless.

"Heather, you're with me," Valka said, and Heather nodded. This was no time to argue. She wanted to go with Hiccup and her father, maybe help them, but at the same time, she wanted to help protect her mother. Stoick could protect Hiccup, and Hiccup with Toothless' help could protect Stoick.

It was Heather's turn to protect her family.

She leapt atop Windshear's back, Valka mounted Cloudjumper, and the two sped off, towards the sky.

"Whatever comes," a deep, dark voice carried through the wind, just loud enough for Heather to hear, "keep hitting the mountain! We need to draw the Alpha out!" Catapults were fired, boulders flying through the air and smashing against the ice cave.

 _Draw the Alpha out? Why?_ All Heather knew was that that didn't exactly sound pleasant. Heather wasn't stupid; she knew that the attackers wouldn't draw the Alpha out for no reason.

Not unless they thought they had some chance at defeating the dragon, which Heather didn't exactly think was possible.

"Ready the traps!" the same commanding voice shouted.

Now that _really_ didn't sound good. She looked down at the ground. Metal contraptions like bear-traps littered the white ground. Trappers and soldiers gathered around them, pulling cranks and lowering chains.

She was about to go down and destroy one of them, but then, gas surrounded one of the traps, and an instant later, the gas lit into flames and exploded.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut emerged from the smoke, mounted on their dragon. "SURPRISE!" Tuffnut cheered. "YEAAAAH!"

"WHAT!?" the deep voice shouted.

It was then that Heather realized just who the deep voice belonged to. It must have been Drago Bludvist himself. It just had to have been. Who else would be able to commandeer the ships? The soldiers didn't listen to just _anyone_.

The voice was demanding them, giving them orders.

The voice belonged to Drago Bludvist.

Heather let an evil smile flash across her face. _Good. Let's see how this bastard likes our dragons_.

"Dragon Riders, coming through!" Tuffnut screeched in triumph. "Yeehaw!"

"Fire!" Fishlegs' voice sounded from the South, and Heather turned her head in time to watch as the rider of the Gronckle pointed down at traps. Snotlout swooped downwards on Hookfang, and the Monstrous Nightmare burned traps to the ground, cheering as he did so.

"Ha ha ha!" Snotlout cackled like a dying mountain goat. "Snotlout, Snotlout! Oy, oy, oy!"

For once in her life, Heather smiled at her cousin's obnoxious battlecry. "Yeaha!" she cheered. "Go Snotlout! Go Snotlout!"

Snotlout jumped and jerked in her direction. His face was absolutely priceless. "WHAT!?" Snotlout blurted. Heather only smirked in response. "You're not supposed to AGREE with me!"

Heather shook her head and rolled her eyes. "It's good to see you again too, Snotlout!" she said.

The twins swooped down on their Zippleback. Barf breathed gas over the traps, and then, Stormfly soared over it and lit it. The dragons that had once been trapped were freed, and as soon as they were, they chirped at Stormfly and took to the sky.

"CUT, THEM, DOWN!" Drago commanded.

"HA, COOL!" Tuffnut laughed.

Valka glanced over her shoulder at Heather, and then shifted her gaze towards the dragon riders. "Heather, take out the catapults, if you can!" she called. "Help the others! Keep the dragons safe!"

Heather didn't argue. Instead, she nodded simply, turned Windshear in the opposite direction, and sped towards the traps and catapults.

"Windshear, barbs!" Heather ordered, and instantly, Windshear flicked her tail. Spines flew in all directions, snapping ropes and damaging catapults. More barbs were fired, and they sliced through chains of dragon traps, destroyed winches, and freed trapped dragons.

But there were more traps, and more catapults. More rocks flew through the air, slamming against the ice.

A large icicle fell straight through the air, cut off the ice spike structure from catapult ammo. It fell down, straight towards Stormfly, who had Astrid and Eret mounted on her back.

"Look out!" Heather shouted, hoping her warning was loud enough for them to hear. Before they even had the chance to react, a blast of purple light flashed through the sky, and the icicle was reduced to snowflakes by a plasma blast.

"Yeah, baby!" Hiccup whooped, despite their situation. He sounded way too excited for his own good.

Below them, soldiers shouted, "Take them down!", but before they could actually react, Gobber flew low over them, mounted on Grump.

"Heads up!" Gobber called in a very relaxed tone of voice. Despite the initial slightly-faster-than-snail-speed of the dragon Gobber was riding, Grump was able to knock the threatening soldiers unconscious, using his tail as a bludgeon.

"Ho ho ho!" Gobber chuckled, obviously enjoying every moment of this.

Heather flew alongside Hiccup, and Hiccup flew alongside Stormfly. "Welcome aboard, Dragon Rider!" he called to Eret, who was sitting in front of Astrid on Stormfly's saddle, holding onto the Nadder's horns for dear life.

"Congratulations!" Heather cheered as well. Eret was on their side now, obviously, and the Chief of the Berserkers couldn't help but smile. That was one less trapper to deal with. "Welcome!"

"Thanks!" Eret called back, although he seemed very unsure of himself. Not unsure of his decision, but unsure of how to control Stormfly. "I think!" he added quickly after another moment.

Astrid laughed halfheartedly, and then looked back at Hiccup. "Where have you two been?" she asked. "You would not BELIEVE how much you missed!"

"Oh, you know," Hiccup said casually. "Just...catching up with Mom."

The look on Astrid's face was priceless, and if on cue, there was a cracking and a roaring. Heather turned to watch as the Alpha smashed through the remainder of the ice cave, roaring all the while. Valka stood on top of Cloudjumper, her bullhook raised over her head, her mask once again covering her face.

Astrid gasped, her eyes wide and full of shock. " _That's_ your _MOTHER!?"_ the Hofferson exclaimed.

"Wellp," Hiccup said casually, popping the "P", "now you know where I get my dramatic flair!" He flicked his helmet back over his face, and Toothless broke away from the rest of the dragon riders, towards the right.

Then, terrifyingly enough, Heather heard Drago's deep voice. "The Alpha! Now, we have a fight!"

That was kind of freaky. What did Drago mean? How was it a fight now? Heather watched as the Alpha froze Drago's soldiers, and some traps as well. Zipplebacks attacked, rolling like balls of fire.

How was Drago happy about this? With Valka's Alpha coming to help fight, Drago was sorely outnumbered.

One of the Zipplebacks got caught in a trap. Heather sped towards it on Windshear, followed quickly by Toothless and Hiccup.

"Come on, Windshear!" Heather cheered. "Let's free that dragon!"

"Show them what you got, bud!" Hiccup instructed Toothless at nearly the same time.

As soon as the dragons were given their commands, Windshear flicked her tail. Silver spines shot like arrows through the wind, dangerously fast and unstoppable. They sliced through ropes easily.

Toothless fired a plasma blast at the remaining chains that Windshear didn't hit, and the trap exploded into purple fire. The Zippleback that had once been caught shot back into the sky, roaring happily, unharmed and free.

"Yeaha!" Heather cheered, throwing her hands into the air. How awesome was this? She didn't like the entire atmosphere of the fight, the fact that people could have been dying below her, but at the same time, she was born of the Hooligan tribe. Even though she wasn't raised on Berk, the insanity still ran through her blood.

And, quite honestly, she would never have it any other way.

She glanced over to the side, and her heart skipped a beat. Her mother was standing right in front of Drago, and Cloudjumper stood behind her. A net was sprawled across the ground; they must have been shot down.

"Hiccup!" Heather shouted, and Hiccup's head snapped in her direction. His eyes widened when he caught sight of their mother, standing so close to their enemy.

"That has to be Drago," Hiccup said plainly. "It has to be."

Who _cared_ who it was? All Heather knew was that- "She needs help!" Heather shouted. "I'll go down! You stay and help the others!"

Hiccup looked like he would have protested if he hadn't heard the urgency in her voice. He nodded, spun Toothless around, and the two of them sped off in the opposite direction.

Heather, meanwhile, turned Windshear and shot towards her mother.

"I've waited a long time for this," she heard Drago snarl.

And then, he stepped forward, and the madman and Heather's mother were brought into battle.

"You cannot take our dragons!" Valka said, swinging her bullhook, authority burning through her slightly muffled voice. "They are controlled by the Alpha!"

Heather expected Drago to cower at that point. He expected the madman to withdraw instantly and go back into the lands from which he had come, whatever they were.

But instead of looking frightened, Drago looked simply...smug. Smug? That didn't make much sense in Heather's mind. No sense at all.

"Then it's a good thing I brought a challenger," Drago hissed, pushing against Valka's staff.

The timing was perfect. As if on cue, a second dragon rose out of the water, large, terrifying, horrendous…

Another Bewilderbeast, just like Valka's. Heather gasped. No wonder. No wonder! Drago had another Alpha. She didn't know how he got the Bewilderbeast, but she really didn't care.

Drago had a challenger, just like he said.

A good challenger.

A worthy opponent.

That was terrifying.

"ANOTHER ONE!?" she heard Hiccup shout, just barely from somewhere behind her. She paused only slightly, her eyes still focused on her mother and Drago.

"That is a class ten!" Fishlegs yelped. "Class ten!"

"No…"

Heather was close enough to hear her mother's voice now, and the voice was a terrified whisper. The mask was still covering Valka's face, so the girl couldn't see the woman's facial expressions, but Heather could imagine what they were.

Terrified.

Frightened.

Worried…

"Come on!" Drago shouted at his Alpha. His attention had been drawn away from Valka easily, as soon as the dragon had risen out of the water. "Take down the Alpha!" Drago commanded.

"No!" Valka shouted. She swung her staff, hitting the back of Drago's head. The man spun around again instantly, his own bullhook at the ready to defend himself.

Heather had no time to get to her before Drago tripped her and pried off her helmet. Now that Heather could see her mother's face, she was filled with dread. Valka's eyes, so full of regret and fear and hopelessness…

Drago raised his bullhook…

Heather drew her axe, released the double blade, and leapt off Windshear.

She hit the ground, directly in between Valka and Drago. She swung her axe back and met Drago's bullhook. Her ankles pulsed with pain from her landing, but she managed to ignore it.

"You will not harm her!" Heather demanded. She swung her weapon, going for Drago's legs. Drago met her axe with his staff, Heather pulled back, spun her axe, and went again.

And then Valka was standing up again, standing beside Heather and swinging her hook at Drago. Drago took a step backwards, smiling smugly.

"You must be the Berserker Chief," Drago said, his voice harsh and guttural, like gravel scraping against smooth stone. "You are not what I expected you to be. You are only a girl. I do not know what I ever feared."

Heather didn't even have the chance to utter a comeback, because the next thing she knew, someone else was slamming into Drago; someone she recognized.

Stoick, her father.

He was furious.

It wasn't hard to see why; Drago just attacked his wife, and then went for his daughter. Heather was pretty furious with Drago, too.

"You two, go!" Stoick demanded. He lifted his head; the Bewilderbeasts were approaching each other, obviously preparing for battle. "Val, do you think you can stop them?"

"I'll do my best!" Valka promised. "Come on, Heather!"

They leapt on their dragons' backs, and were airborne an instant later. Drago and Stoick took up fighting stances, their weapons at the ready.

Heather couldn't focus on that for very long. They had to stop the Alphas from fighting. She redirected her attention to the two Alphas.

 _We can do this. We can do this. We can do this. It should be easy. Mom's been with her Alpha for so long. It should be simple. Very simple._

 _We can do this._

But, unfortunately, she was wrong. Valka directed Cloudjumper to fly directly in front of the Bewilderbeast. She put her hand out to him and raised the bullhook, but nothing happened.

"Mom?" Heather questioned.

Valka tried again, seemingly oblivious to Heather's voice. "I can't do it," Valka whispered, seemingly horror-stricken. She lifted her head to Heather and raised her voice. "I can't do it!" she said.

That was really when Heather began to despair. The Bewilderbeasts were fighting, and below them, Stoick and Drago were at each other's throats. The other dragon riders were attacking traps and blasting dragons free of nets, but even then, there was only so much they could do.

Their only hope of winning this battle was if Valka's Bewilderbeast killed Drago's Bewilderbeast. If he didn't…

There was no positive way to end that thought.

But then, just as Heather was about to shout for her mother to try again and to try harder, Drago's Bewilderbeast shoved Valka's and slammed him against the ground. Heather wanted nothing more but to interfere…

But what could she do? It all happened so suddenly. Drago's Alpha pulled back, and lurched forward, burying his tusks into the other Alpha's stomach.

"No!" Valka cried.

Heather couldn't speak for a good long while, and when she did, all she could shout was, "NO!"; the same thing everyone else was shouting.

Because they just lost their best chance of winning.

Valka's Bewilderbeast was dead.


	16. Chapter 16

**It's the...**

 ***spins in circle dramatically***

 **...Eye of the tiger! It's the thrill of the fight!**

 ***draws sword***

 **Risin' up to the challenge of our rival!**

 ***plays sword like guitar***

 **And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night!**

 ***spins sword***

 **And he's watching us all with theeeeeeeee!**

 ***cymbal crash***

 **Eye of the tiger!**

 **Sorry guys! I just love that song. :D Shout-outs:**

 **HappyPup1: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: We shall see!**

 **AnimeAngel: Hey, not a bad head canon there! :D I was thinking that before, too, because actually, we never see the Bewilderbeast's body again in the second film, so I was thinking maybe it left to find a safe haven or whatever...like you said, we'll have to wait until the third film. :) *accepts beef broth happily***

 **clank2662: Die, Drago! DIE!**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Hahahahaha! A constipated yak works too! :D**

 **Drew Luczynski: Just about sums it up.**

 **Silver Electricity: We shall see! And thank you! :)**

 **ParagonNight666: Drago...I really hate that guy so much, you know? Seriously. The murderer...my PM thing doesn't always work, unfortunately. It malfunctions all the time. It makes me angry. :/ I'll see if it works, and if it does, I'll respond. :)**

 **LunarCatNinja: EXACTLY! I can just imagine Hiccup saying: "Basically, in short, our situation sucks." XD**

 **Tangled4ever: We will have to see...**

 **JC: I KNOW, RIGHT? I liked Valka's Bewilderbeast, and then Drago's Bewilderbeast just had to KILL IT! UGH!**

 **neobendium: Yeah, being sick's awful, but hey, it's part of life. :) And the thing about Stoick...I will reveal nothing yet.**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: IT IS HEATING UP! THE HEAT IS ON! SHOTS FIRED! THEN IT'S WAR! You're welcome for the shout-out! :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Carly Marley: Hahahahahaha! :D DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN!**

 **Dria Haddock II: Oh dear is right!**

* * *

Drago's Alpha rose to his full height, standing over the body of the deceased Bewilderbeast. Heather still couldn't get her shock under control. The Bewilderbeast was dead. the good Bewilderbeast; the Bewilderbeast that was on their side and that was going to help them win the fight.

At the same time, Heather was overwhelmed with fury. She steered Windshear back, and sped towards the other dragon riders, who were still staring at the dead dragon's body in terror.

"Hiccup!" Heather shouted. Hiccup jerked his head in her direction, his eyes wide, his forehead and cheek smudged with small streaks of soot. "We need to finish destroying these traps, and then we need to talk to Drago!"

Hiccup remained frozen for a second, and then, he shook his head as if to knock himself out of a daze, and nodded. "Alright, yeah," he said. "Yeah, we do. You're right. Before...before anyone else is killed."

Heather nodded. She wished she had the Berserkers behind her. She wished she had them with her right now, to help her fight this battle, but alas. It was wishful thinking. That was all it was.

"Come on!" Heather shouted. "If we're going to attack, we have to attack soon, while we still have a fighting chance at beating this madman! Any ideas, Hiccup!?" She knew how to fight, but Hiccup had all the best strategies. She was good alone, yet she also was open to any suggestions her brother had for her, because he was so intelligent.

He beat a Berserker in intelligence, once, without hardly even trying. That was years ago, and since then, Hiccup had grown even wiser.

"Okay, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff!" Hiccup ordered; the twins and Snotlout snapped to attention. "You three, go down first and give it everything you've got! Don't even worry about aiming unless you have a clear shot! Blast anything that threatens us!"

"That's our specialty!" Snotlout saluted. "Snotlout is going down! Whooo! Snotlout, Snotlout, oy, oy, oy!" Hookfang dove downwards, pursued by the twins on their Zippleback.

Heather would have rolled her eyes if they hadn't been on the line of battle.

"Alright, Fishlegs, Astrid and Eret!" Hiccup shouted again, and the ones he called whipped their heads in his direction. "You guys go in afterwards, using the smoke to hide you from the attackers!"

"Got it!" Astrid shouted in response.

"Aye, mate!" Eret yelled back, saluting, much like Snotlout has, only Heather could tell that Eret's salute was sincere, whereas Snotlout's salute was just the Jorgenson playing around.

"You got it, Hiccup!" Fishlegs said, and an instant later, he and the others shot downwards after Snotlout and the twins.

"Alright, Heather, you're with me!" Hiccup said as soon as his friends were out of sight, flying towards the ships like silver arrows. "You know what to do."

Heather nodded. "Talk to Drago, get him to change his mind?" she asked.

Hiccup nodded. "Only," he said, "maybe you should let me do the talking, at first, anyways. If I need help, I'll let you help me, but let me start it, okay?"

Heather rolled her eyes. Of _course_ she was going to let Hiccup start it. He knew the right words to choose. He was _very_ good with words. He changed Eret's mind, and Stoick's mind about dragons when the war against them first ended. Heather had no doubt that somehow or another, Hiccup would be able to change Drago's mind as well.

"Okay, I got it," she said, nodding her head in clarification. "Come on. Let's go fight ourselves a madman, Hiccup."

"Right behind you," Hiccup agreed, and the brother and sister turned their dragons and flew towards Drago.

It took a remarkably short amount of time to locate the leader of the dragon trappers, and once they did, Heather took a few moments to analyze their situation: Valka and Stoick were no where to be seen, so Heather figured Stoick must have taken Valka to safety.

 _But what's safety in this battle?_

She didn't want to dwell on it for very long. Maybe Valka went back to try and help the other dragon riders, who knew at this point? All Heather knew was that if they were going to stop this war, then they were going to have to confront Drago.

And this was their chance.

"STOP!" Hiccup shouted, just when it looked like Drago was going to start shouting demands to his Bewilderbeast again. Drago froze for a split second before jerking his head in the direction of the sky as Toothless and Windshear flew in and landed on the icy ground.

Hiccup dismounted, and Heather did the same beside him. Hiccup took off his mask and tossed it behind him while Heather took to drawing her axe again, holding it in front of her threateningly.

Drago was even more hideous than the description given to them by Stoick. The scars on his face were white, the rest of his skin a dark - almost black - tanned color. He had obvious muscles; in a way, he reminded Heather of Stoick, by the way he was built with muscles and a bulky frame.

Drago smiled mockingly and let out a dark, horrendous chuckle that made Heather want to cover her ears. " _This_ , is the great Dragon Master?" Drago laughed, pointing briefly in Hiccup's direction. "The son of Stoick the Vast?"

Hiccup glared back at Drago, but said nothing, and Heather did the same. Drago stopped laughing, his eyes narrowed.

"What _shame_ , he must feel," Drago said, savoring his words.

Heather stepped forward threateningly, but Hiccup's hand set in front of her stopped her. His eyes said it all: _Let me start it. I'll let you know if I need your help, alright? Let me do this by myself for now._

Heather put her hand on her hip, yet did as she was told. Hiccup was right; she had to let him do this, and it would work out okay. He could convince Drago to stop this fight, and if he couldn't do it, nobody could do it. Hiccup was their last chance now that the Bewilderbeast was gone.

Hiccup took a step forward. "All of this loss," he said, gesturing to the battle raging around them, "and for what? To become unstoppable? To rule the world?"

Drago looked upwards and shrugged as if the idea were what he had been thinking the entire time. It took all of Heather's willpower not to attack him right there.

"Dragons," Hiccup went on. "They are...kind, amazing creatures that can bring people together-"

Drago barked a loud "HA!" that sounded like he had been gargling with gravel. "Or tear them apart," he said darkly, reaching for his left arm with his right one. He gripped his forearm-

-and pulled his arm clean off. Well, it wasn't really a flesh "arm", now that Heather saw it clearly. It was a prosthetic arm, made of metal that gleamed the color of silver. His real arm was...gone. Gone.

Gone.

He hooked his arm back to his stump and approached Hiccup slowly. "You see," he said, "I know what it is like...to live in _fear_." He stepped around Hiccup, circling him, cutting Heather out of the circle. Heather had never felt farther away from her brother in her entire life, but she didn't step forward.

What would she have done, anyways?

"To see my village burnt," Drago went on, "my family, taken. But even as a boy...left with _nothing_...I vowed to rise high above the fear of dragons, and liberate the people of this world."

"Then why a dragon army?" Hiccup questioned.

 _Good point_.

"Well," Drago said, "you need dragons to conquer other dragons."

"Or maybe you need dragons to conquer people," Hiccup took another step forward, his eyes as cold as ice. "To control those who follow you, and to get rid of those who won't."

 _Also a good point._

"Clever boy," Drago said, his comment made under his breath yet intentionally loud enough for Hiccup to hear. But he didn't seem fazed, just yet, by anything Hiccup was saying.

Heather tightened the grip on her axe and looked towards Hiccup. _Can I jump in now?_

Hiccup shook his head. _Not yet_.

"The world wants peace," Hiccup said, his attention refocused on Drago, "and we have the answer back on Berk."

 _Here it comes_. It was now, or never. If Hiccup couldn't change Drago's mind and show him the truth, Heather knew this war would end in death. Lots of death and destruction. People would suffer. People would die.

 _Come on, Hiccup_.

"Just," Hiccup went on to say, "let me show you-"

"No!" Drago shot back, and Heather could have sworn her heart stopped, even if just for a second. "Let ME, show YOU!"

That was it. Heather raised her axe to attack him then and there, but then, Drago raised his bullhook and swung it in arching circles over his head, screaming all the while. The screams made Heather stop; made her think twice.

 _He's summoning his Alpha. He must be._ The Bewilderbeast rose up behind him, its body towering. Heather knew that if she reacted against Drago now, the ice dragon would surely kill them all.

"No dragon can resist the Alpha's command," Drago said. "So, he who controls the Alpha...controls them _all_." He pointed his bullhook, right at Windshear and Toothless.

Instantly, the dragons began writhing and growling, throwing their heads back as if in pain. Heather lowered her axe, her attention now refocused on Windshear.

"Windshear?" she questioned. She tried to move towards her dragon, but Windshear only hissed and backed away further. Across from her, Hiccup was trying to find out what was wrong with Toothless, but gaining the same results as Heather.

Fury was the next thing Heather felt. "What are you doing to our dragons!?" she screeched, stepping towards Drago threateningly.

Drago wasn't fazed. "Witness true strength!" he said. "The strength of will over others!"

The dragons stilled all at once, all of a sudden, and then, they lifted their heads in unison, their pupils narrowed into slits that were blank, glazed over, and unseeing.

This just got a whole lot more terrifying.

"In the face of it," Drago went on. "You...are... _nothing!"_ He lifted his bullhook from the dragons, pointing it directly at their riders. Toothless and Windshear turned around, Toothless facing Hiccup, and Windshear facing Heather.

"Ah…" Hiccup hesitated, his voice wavering, "what did he just tell you?"

…

"Are you alright?" Stoick asked Valka for the utmost time after finally managing to get his wife away from Drago with the help of Gobber.

Valka nodded quickly. "I'm fine," she insisted. "We have to go help the others."

Stoick just turned around, but then, his eyes fell on something he had been terrified of seeing: Windshear and Toothless, backing Hiccup and Heather away from each other.

Only this time, the dragons were snarling and growling. Stoick felt his blood run cold. He knew what the Alpha was capable of now, after seeing what happened, and if Drago's Alpha took control of Toothless and Windshear, and by the way the dragons were backing up their riders…

"No," Stoick breathed.

Valka saw it at the same time he did, and she gasped. "I'll help Heather," she said instantly. "You help Hiccup."

No one needed to be told twice or take a second thought otherwise before they were running. Stoick and Valka raced towards their children, their minds flaring in panic.

…

"Windshear!" Heather screamed. "Cut it out, Windshear! What are you doing!?"

The Razorwhip didn't listen to her. It backed her up, away from Hiccup and Toothless. She stole a glance over Windshear; Toothless was backing Hiccup in the opposite direction, separating the siblings.

"Hiccup!" Heather shouted, desperate to get to her brother, but trying to run to him was useless. Whenever she tried to move away from Windshear, the dragon snarled and snapped at her, forcing her to stay in place.

"Heather!" Hiccup shouted back.

There was nothing either of them could do. They could only step away from their dragons while pleading feverishly as they tried to get their dragons under control.

"Toothless!" Hiccup pleaded. "Come on! What's the matter with you!?" Toothless only snarled back. "No, no, no, come on, what are you doing?" Hiccup questioned. "Knock it off! Stop! Snap out of it!"

Toothless didn't "stop", and he didn't "snap out of it", and neither did Windshear. Heather felt powerless.

 _We should have listened,_ she thought as she continued screaming at Windshear to cut it out. _We should have listened to Mom and Dad. They knew what they were talking about when they said Drago was a madman. We didn't listen, and now look where we are._

 _I'm going to be the death of my brother, and I'm going to die, too._

"Windshear, no!" Heather shouted in a last ditch attempt to make her dragon see reality.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled. "Don't!"

Then, faintly, Heather heard two voices: her mother, shouting Heather's name, and their father, shouting Hiccup's name. When Heather lifted her head, she saw Valka running towards her, and Stoick running towards Hiccup.

 _No. No no no no no_.

"Mom, NO!" Heather yelled. Windshear raised her spiked tail threateningly, the barbs extending and gleaming against the bright sun. Heather knew what Valka was going to do, and she didn't want it to happen.

"Dad, stop!" Hiccup yelled. "NO!"

It all happened so suddenly, Heather wasn't even one hundred percent sure what had happened at all. Valka knocked Heather to the ground, and the _whiz, whiz, whiz, whiz, whiz_ of the Razorwhip's darts shot through the sky. Heather was slammed against the ground, beneath her mother.

And then, across from them, a plasma blast exploded, directly after Hiccup shouted, "Dad! No!". The blast was loud, and purple light danced before Heather's eyes. She couldn't move, pinned to the ground.

Ice cracked.

Dragons roared.

Hiccup screamed.

And then, suddenly, Heather's field of vision went black.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, so, I have a question: I'm going to write two what-ifs for Race to the Edge episodes, and I want to know which one you guys want to see first:**

 **A "Big Man on Berk what-if", which will focus on Hiccup and Fishlegs friendship, or a "Dragon Eye of the Beholder what-if" what will focus on Hiccup and Astrid (fluff insures! FEEL THE FLUFF). So, let me know what you guys think, and here are the shout-outs:**

 **KatPrincess01: Thanks! :D**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Haha, I laughed at *insert fangirling* XD**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Took the words right out of my mouth! NOOOOO!**

 **neobendium: I know! Don't be dead!**

 **HappyPup1: AAAAHHHHHHHHHH! IT'S THE DREADED NOWS! PLEASE SPARE ME YOU WRATH!**

 **DarkForest11: You'll have to see! Let's hope they're not both dead!**

 **Toothless801: INTENSE! WILL STOICK AND VALKA LIVE OR WILL STOICK AND VALKA DIE!? I love cliffhangers so much, because it kinda forces the reader to come back for more, and I'm evil like that, heh heh heh...XD So, anyways, I'm glad you liked the battle scene! I love writing battle scenes. They're hard to write, but I like doing it. And yeah, Snotlout makes me laugh! :D On one hand, I don't like Snotlout because he's a jerk, but on the other hand, I really can't help but like Snotlout. :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: I hate Drago too. Let's hope Heather kills him somehow.**

 **AnimeAngel: But hey, theories are what keep people in this fandom alive while we're waiting for the next season of Race to the Edge come out, am I right? XD I love theories. They're pretty fun to come up with, actually. I have fun coming up with them, anyways, that is. :) Haha, Dargo Bloddyfist...XD**

 **clank2662: Let's hope not...**

 **Drew Luczynski: WHY DIDN'T YOU DODGE, HEATHER AND HICCUP!?**

 **LunarCatNinja: Let's hope at least ONE of them lives...**

 **DH III: Yep. Oh no...**

 **ParagonNight666: Yep, that's right. Drago deserves to die, and his Evil Bewilderbeast deserves to die, too. Evil Bewilderbeast...oddly enough, I kinda like the way that sounds. Evil Bewilderbeast...Oh, I am so weird. XD**

 **Letstellstorys014: WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAA! I'm sorry about the cliffhanger! Seriously though, I LOVE cliffhangers, so don't expect me to stop any time soon, because I've tried, and it doesn't work. XD I'm glad I seem to be at least keeping you interested! :) Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: We shall see whether or not they both died! Let's just hope they didn't! Thanks for the review! :D And you're amazing, not me! :D**

 **Ultimateblack: I was thinking about that while watching the movie in the theater! Just, grab something, and KNOCK THE DRAGON OUT. Knock it out, save your Daddy, and EVERYONE LIVES! But nooooooo. I think at that point Hiccup was kind of in shock at what was happening, because he was so sure that he could change Drago's mind, and then _BOOM_ , all of a sudden, his best friend is trying to kill him. I don't think I would be particularly using my wits if my best friend suddenly turned on me, either. Oh well. R.I.P. Stoick the Vast...**

 **Silver Electricity: Just about, yeah.**

 **IonitaMircea32: Well...I might have...no spoilers yet. I'm glad you liked the chapter! :) Thanks for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Heather only blacked out for a moment, because the next time she opened her eyes, she was still pressed against the ground, the weight of her mother still pinning her down. She wondered, for just a moment, what had happened.

And then, the smell of smoke seeped into her nostrils, and it all came rushing back to her. Windshear fired the spines, Toothless ignited the gas building in his throat. Valka shoved Heather, and Stoick must have shoved Hiccup.

That left Heather with a terrifying thought.

Was her mother and father dead?

So far, Valka hadn't moved, and Heather was still underneath her. "Mom?" she whispered, trying to make her voice sound demanding although in the end it came out sounding like a five year old who had recently woken up from a horrendous nightmare. "Mom!" she shouted, a little harder this time.

Oh Thor, what if she was dead? What if Valka was gone? No. No no no, Heather couldn't think about that. She couldn't lose her mother, so soon after getting her back. Valka couldn't die at her expense. She just couldn't. No. No. No…

 _No…_

And then, a miracle happened; or, in Heather's mind, it was a miracle. Valka stirred and shifted, and soon after, moved off of Heather.

"What…?" was the first thing out of the woman's mouth, and then, she grabbed Heather by her shoulders and forced her into a sitting position. "Heather," she gasped. "Are you hurt? Are you alright?"

Heather felt like crying, she was so relieved. Her mother was alive. "I'm fine," Heather promised. "I'm fine. Just fine." She looked over to the side; there they were, all five of Windshear's spines, buried into the ground a few feet away from them. They had missed. Windshear had missed.

Thank goodness for that.

Valka looked around, her tight grip on Heather's shoulders never letting up. "Where's Hiccup?" Valka asked urgently. "And Stoick?"

Heather's smile faded instantly. Her brother, and her father. Where were they? _Where were they!?_

Panicking, Heather got to her feet, trying her best not to wobble. Beside her, Valka did the same, but Heather hardly noticed that. Her mother wasn't injured; Hiccup and Stoick might have been.

"Hiccup!" Heather cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. "Dad!"

Valka gasped. "There!" she shouted, pointing wildly to the side. Heather lifted her head and looked in the direction her mother pointed while the smoke finally cleared enough for her to see.

There was Hiccup, lying on his side, one of his arms underneath him while his other arm fell over his chest. His eyes were closed, a smudge of soot across his cheek as if in a mockery of the red facepaint he would wear for dragon racing.

"Hiccup!" Heather screeched in terror as she charged over to him, her feet pounding against the icy ground. _Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump_ , in a rapid, incessant session. Her heartbeat drummed against her ears, louder than her footsteps: THUMP...THUMP...THUMP…! However, she ignored it.

Her only focus was getting to her brother. She didn't know where Stoick was, but she could find him after she made sure Hiccup was alright. She felt torn between looking for her father and checking on her brother.

 _Well, we already know where Hiccup is. Might as well make sure he's alright first._

She reached Hiccup's side before Valka did, and as soon as she did, she crashed to her knees. Shards of ice scraped against the skin of her knees, and she ignored it entirely. Gently yet frantically, she gave Hiccup's shoulder a shove.

He was rolled onto his back, one of his arms still draped limply over his chest. There was a gash on his forehead that was bleeding, drops of blood rolling down his temple and dripping onto the ground beside his head. It didn't look serious, and honestly, Heather didn't think the gash was the cause of his unconsciousness.

 _Unconsciousness, or death?_

She shivered at the thought, gripped Hiccup's shoulder, and shook it firmly. "Hiccup," she said. "Hiccup!" Her voice rose when he didn't move. She was beginning to panic. She grabbed his wrist and tried feeling for his pulse, but her hands were shaking far too much for her to get an accurate reading.

Heck, she couldn't even tell whether or not he _had_ a pulse.

Before she tried anything else, Valka was beside her, grabbing Hiccup by his shoulders and shaking him firmly yet gently. When he didn't move, she pressed her ear against her son's chest and froze.

Heather tensed, pleading silently with her eyes closed. _Please not Hiccup. Please. Please don't let him be dead, please. I couldn't take it. And please let Dad be alright, wherever he is. Please, please, please don't take my brother or my father away from me. Please…_

After what felt like an eternity, Valka relaxed, a sigh of relief escaping her throat. "His heartbeat's strong," she said.

Heather let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her brother was alright. That was one weight off her shoulders.

Valka sat up and brushed Hiccup's bangs off his forehead, examining the sluggishly bleeding gash. "He must have blacked out," she decided after just another moment. "The gash on his head doesn't look serious enough to be a concussion. He should be fine."

As if emphasising what she said, Hiccup groaned, his eyes flickering for a moment before they slipped open. His eyes were full of confusion for a few moments, but then, they widened.

"What happened?" he moaned, squinting up at Heather and his mother. "What...what...where's...where's Dad?"

Heather was wondering the same thing, because they didn't know where Stoick was. She didn't know what to say to Hiccup. At this point, saying that they didn't know where Stoick was would just make the boy panic. Saying that Stoick could have been dead would have made him panic more.

Hiccup wasn't hit by the plasma blast, obviously, because here he was, still alive and breathing.

But if Hiccup wasn't hit by the blast, then who was?

Luckily, Heather didn't even have to answer Hiccup, because the next thing she knew, someone else was calling his name. "HICCUP!" That was Astrid's voice, and it was followed by footsteps pounding against the ground.

And then, there she was. The Hofferson girl took one look at Hiccup before she surged forward, her arms snaking around his shoulders in a tight embrace. After a brief moment of Hiccup hugging her back, Astrid pulled away again. "We saw the blast," she said urgently. "What happened? Where's Stoick?"

Looks like Heather wasn't as free from that question as she had hoped. As soon as she made sure Hiccup was with Astrid, she stood up quickly and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Dad!" she shouted. "Dad!"

"Stoick!" Valka called from beside her. Part of Heather said that shouting was useless. Hiccup, Valka, and she had all been knocked unconscious for a few moments. Chances were, Stoick was unconscious as well.

But at the same time, the others were all awake now. Why wasn't Stoick awake yet?

He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be. Not like this. Not so suddenly. No. No, no, no, no. Heather was sort of feeling lucky today; Valka had survived, Hiccup had survived, and she had survived. Stoick couldn't be _dead_. Not when the rest of them had lived.

And then, suddenly, Heather saw him, buried underneath large heaps of ice, lying in a position much like Hiccup's had been when they first found him. Heather's breath caught in her throat. Valka froze beside Heather. Hiccup shot to his feet with Astrid beside him.

" _STOICK!"_

" _DAD!"_

The two titles of one man being shouted by his family as Hiccup, Heather, Valka, and Astrid raced towards him. Hiccup stumbled briefly, but not for long. The Haddocks had their eyes glued to the unmoving person before them.

Surprisingly, Hiccup was actually the first to make it to Hiccup's side, and instantly, Hiccup began shoving ice off his father, screaming the whole time. "DAD!" Hiccup yelled desperately, his voice cracking.

Heather was the second to reach her father's side, and she helped Hiccup in his task of shoving the large, heavy pieces of ice off Stoick. Valka was the third, and Astrid was the fourth. Once Stoick's body was uncovered, they flipped him over onto his back.

Just as Heather had feared, Stoick's chest armor was smoking. The blast must have hit him, and it must have hit him right in the chest by the looks of it. Right where his heart was.

 _No_.

Valka pressed her ear against Stoick's chest while Hiccup whispered, "Dad," over and over again. It took Heather a few moments before she realized that she was doing the same. Her father couldn't die here. He was too strong. He couldn't be taken down like this...he just couldn't.

Impossible.

But then…

Terrifyingly enough…

Valka shut her eyes with a small whimper. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she lifted her head, opening her eyes once again to gaze sadly at Hiccup and Heather. The look in her eyes said it all.

 _No._

"No," Hiccup whispered as if reading Heather's thoughts. He shook his head as if trying to shake himself out of whatever sick dream he found himself in.

But it wasn't a dream.

There was no waking up from this reality, no matter how sick and twisted it was.

"No, no, no," Hiccup whispered, resting his head against Stoick's chest. Heather couldn't see his face, but she saw his shoulders shaking and heaving with sobs that tore through his body.

Heather didn't feel the sorrow of the death of her father; not yet.

All she felt was the blinding, heating, beyond furious rage towards Drago Bludvist. She spun around, drawing her axe again without fully thinking about what she was doing. This man killed her father. This man tried to kill her brother, and her mother, and herself.

This man turned Windshear and Toothless into monsters, whichever way you looked at it.

Heather wasn't aware of herself walking forward until she was right in front of Drago. She swung her axe at his bullhook, and she parried with him.

 _Kill him. Kill him. Kill him right now. Kill this madman. End his madness. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him._

Her vision went red as she parried again. She couldn't see past the blinding hatred she felt towards this murderer. She didn't even try to see past it, and even if she had tried, it would have been useless in the end.

She wanted to see Drago dead. She would never be satisfied with herself until he was gone.

"Heather, no!"

She heard Hiccup's desperate voice, and then she felt hands wrap around her forearm. She flung Hiccup back, wrenching herself out of his grip.

" _DON'T TOUCH ME!"_ she screamed at him. "This is all your fault!" She didn't know what she was doing. She couldn't feel herself moving her foot, but she felt when it connected with her brother's side. She didn't know what was happening. She tried to stop herself, but it was impossible.

 _It's not his fault…_

 _But at the same time, it kinda is…_

She heard Hiccup cry out, but she couldn't think about it. She felt herself moving again, and another cry was heard, but she wasn't aware of her surroundings anymore at this point. She didn't know what was happening, or even what she was doing.

At length, the red faded from her vision, and she saw Hiccup lying on the ground, one of his hands gripping his ribs while his other hand cradled his cheek.

His bruised cheek.

Did she…

Did she _slap him?_

Astrid was putting herself between Hiccup and Heather, and Heather suddenly realized why. She must have attacked Hiccup, somehow...somehow...but how? She didn't even know she was doing it…

"Heather," Astrid demanded, "stop."

Heather blinked. Her vision suddenly went fuzzy. She saw Hiccup jump to his feet, and as soon as he was standing, he stumbled away, running as fast as possible in the opposite direction. Astrid turned and ran after him instantly, calling his name as she went.

Heather wanted to follow him.

But then, her legs wobbled. Her vision swam. Her knees buckled, and then, she was falling. The ground was right in her field of vision, coming up on her, fast and unstoppable.

The shock had caught up with her.

 _My Dad is dead, and I just screamed at my brother and beat him and blamed him. It wasn't his fault. It was my fault. I don't know why, but it was my fault somehow. My fault. Not his fault. I accused him. My fault, not his. My Dad is dead._

She hit the ground. Her mother called her name. Drago laughed barbarically.

And then, Heather was unconscious.

…

"Heather...Heather!"

When Heather woke up, it was to someone calling her name; her mother, to be exact, shouting at her while shaking her shoulder. Heather's eyes flew open, and she flailed her arms for a reason she didn't quite understand yet.

Her mother's hands wrapped around her wrists, and Heather couldn't move. When Heather's vision finally came back into focus, she found herself looking into her mother's eyes.

She wasn't outside anymore. She was back in her mother's cave, lying on furs with another one pulled over her body. She sat up with a cringe of pain, clutching at her head.

"What...what happened?" she groaned.

"You fainted," Valka said hastily, touching Heather's cheek softly. Heather looked over her mother's shoulder; Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs were present, along with Eret, but there was no one else.

No Astrid.

And no Hiccup, either.

"Mom," Heather gulped, "where's Hiccup?"

Valka's eyes grew sad. "Heather-"

"No," Heather cut her off instantly. "Where is my brother!?"

"Heather, you have to listen to me," Valka ordered. Her voice was so stern that it left no choice but for Heather to listen. She sat back, her mind blank and her mouth shut. "You didn't know what you were doing," Valka said. "You were in partial shock for a while there…"

Heather's mind screeched to a halt. "Where's Hiccup?" she repeated.

Valka lowered her head. "Right before you fainted," she said, "Hiccup ran off. Astrid went with him."

Heather already knew all of this. This was not new information. "Where is Hiccup?" That seemed to be the only thing she could even speak.

Valka lifted her head. "We looked for them," she said as if oblivious to Heather's question. "And...and all we found...was this."

She reached over to the side and pulled a piece of paper into view. She handed it to Heather, and Heather took it instantly.

She didn't even have a chance to read it before Valka spoke once again.

"Heather, I'm sorry," she said. "Hiccup and Astrid are in Drago's custody."


	18. Chapter 18

****Hey, guys! :D How's stuff in the old fandom? Having lots of fun with this new plot twist? Yes? No? Not so much? Kinda so-so? I feel the same way. I don't know where I'm going with this...I'm leading up to, hopefully a big battle. :)****

 ** **So, this chapter's a bit of re-cap in Astrid's POV, since the last chapter didn't cover everything I wanted to cover. So part of it's re-cap, and the other part is new information. :) So, before we begin, shout-outs:****

 ** **Lightclaw's Shadow: I'm glad you approve. :)****

 ** **IonitaMircea32: There will defenitely be a lot of Hiccup/Heather/Astrid rage and attacking Drago in future chapters, so don't worry. XD I don't know why, but I love the idea of Hiccup getting so furious that he attacks someone. Like Dagur. I'm hoping for an episode of Race to the Edge where Dagur hurts Astrid or something and Hiccup just FULL-BLOW ATTACKS Dagur. That would be awesome. XD****

 ** **LissanFuryEye: I wish looks could kill at this point. Drago should DIE.****

 ** **HappyPup1: WOW! LOTS OF PLEASES! SPARE ME YOUR WRATH!****

 ** **TomBoyBookGirl: I'm glad I'm keeping you guys interested, XD I know that was a pretty big plot twist there. :P****

 ** **silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! I'm glad you liked that twist! :)****

 ** **DarkForest11: Took the words right out of my mouth, that's for sure! *sobs oceans in the corner*****

 ** **Drew Luczynski: YES, YES! DRAGO HAS TO BE KILLED!****

 ** **Literally No One: It'll go longer, don't worry. :D Thanks for reviewing! :D****

 ** **Letstellstorys014: I LIKE CLIFFHANGERS! That's all I have to say in my defense, actually, lol. :) And haha, wrong chapter...that's funny, because normally, I don't even check which chapter people review on. I'm more focused on the actual review. XD****

 ** **clank2662: They seriously need to get some sort of secret weapon to use against this madman! KILL DRAGO! TO DEATH WITH DRAGO! DEATH OR GLORY! CHARGE!****

 ** **LunarCatNinja: It gets good, it gets bad. Hard to tell either way. :)****

 ** **AnimeAngel: I LOOOOOOOOOOOVVVEEE THE LEGEND TRILOGY SOOOOO MUCH! IT'S SO AMAZING, OH MY GOSH I LOVE IT SO MUCH. CHAMPION KINDA KILLED ME ON THE INSIDE, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER MUCH! BEAUTIFUL SERIES! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *dies*****

 ** **Dancing on Dragon Wings: Cliffhangers...madness...I like both of them, and it's not good. :P****

 ** **Nuadize: Hahaha! :D That's cool. :)****

 ** **ParagonNight666: Do not bow to me! I bow to you! *bows* But yeah, stop dying! I'm running out of medical supplies! XD Thanks for the awesome review, by the way. I'm glad you liked it. :D****

 ** **Toothless801: Gah, stupid typos...thanks for letting me know! Yeah, the keyboard and I are not always compatible. XD And wow, thank you so much for saying all of that about the chapter! It makes me really happy to hear that people enjoy reading it! Sometimes I think "Nah, this is gonna be terrible and no one's gonna like it" and then I get tons of reviews with people saying how much they liked the chapter and I'm BLOWN AWAY. XD So, thanks! And yeah, I'm a full-blown Hiccstrid shipper, so it looks like I'm going to be writing the "Dragon Eye of the Beholder Part 2 What-If". Just a little minor spoiler...it was inspired by Snotlout's line, "What are you gonna do? Take it out of one of our dead bodies?" Except hopefully, it won't be a death!fic...****

 ** **alpha darkwolf: OH! Typos! I hate typos. Yeah, sorry about that, and thanks for letting me know about that, too. :) Does anybody else die? Hmm...well, I can't spoil anything about the story yet. Let's just hope no one else is killed. Thanks for the review! :D****

 ** **Ultimateblack: PLOT TWIST! We will have to learn what happens...SOON. And I know the feeling, playing the HTTYD2 soundtrack on piano...I know "Stoick saves Hiccup" and "Stoick's Ship", so I play them right alongside each other and get five minutes of sobbing my way through the piece. BUT IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL! *cries*****

 ** **TheFutureChieftessOfBerk: Poor Hiccup, and poor Astrid. I told you guys before, a plot twist was coming, and now, I've done it.****

 ** **Carly Marley: AAAAHHH! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! *runs from the minions* AHHHHHHH!****

 ** **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: What can I say? I LOVE PLOT TWISTS AND CLIFFHANGERS, AND TOGETHER, IT IS NOT A GOOD MATCH. Or maybe it is. I don't know. :/ Aww, thank you! Seriously though, you've been telling me I'm amazing, and I think YOU'RE amazing! :D I think I'm going to do the "Dragon Eye of the Beholder Part 2 What-If" with lots of Hiccstrid...I'm a die-hard Hiccstrid shipper. I NEED HICCSTRID. I want more Hiccstrid in future Race to the Edge episodes so much.****

 ** **Silver Electricity: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Sorry I shattered your feels. THE FEELSIES ARE REALSIES!****

 ** **thearizona: Stoick dying was SO not cool, but I had to make someone die in order for the twist to work, and I think it worked great...eh. :) The books are GREAT. I've only read the first four, but I know the plotlines for the rest of the books. Seriously, you should read them! They're awesome! :D****

 ** **Iris Patton: I did it! Sorry! I put Hiccup and Astrid in Drago's evil hands! What will happen? We will have to see!****

* * *

Astrid was having a bad enough day as it was…

But when Heather threw Hiccup to the ground and kicked him harshly, that was just about enough. Astrid shot to her feet and raced towards them, ready to physically restrain Heather if she had to. Heather punched Hiccup's cheek, and then suddenly stumbled backwards. The fury faded in her eyes, replaced with terror.

Astrid ran in between Heather and Hiccup, hoping the message was clear in her furious, blue eyes. __Don't touch him.__

"Heather," Astrid said, keeping her voice as demanding as she possibly could, "stop."

Heather did stop, and she continued staring at Hiccup with guilty eyes. Astrid wondered, for a moment, if Heather remembered what she did. Or maybe she was like Toothless was when the dragon killed Stoick: maybe Heather's fury took control of her, like the mind controlling power of the Alpha.

Either way, Heather didn't seem to remember hurting her brother.

Then, suddenly, Hiccup stumbled to his feet, and darted in the opposite direction, holding his ribs and his cheek. Astrid wanted to continue confronting Heather, but she also knew that Hiccup needed her more. Valka and the other dragon riders could take care of Heather.

She had to take care of Hiccup.

"Hiccup, wait!" she shouted desperately as she chased after Hiccup instantly. She shot one last glare at Heather over her shoulder, and then refocused her eyes to the frantically running boy in front of her.

"Hiccup!" she called again, and finally, he stopped running, crashing to his knees behind a huge boulder made of ice once they were far away enough from the others. Astrid was about to scold him for running off, but at the last second, she stopped.

She couldn't get mad at him. She just couldn't. There was no way she would have been able to get mad at him. Not like this. Not when his own sister hurt him without even knowing what she was doing. Not right after the death of his father.

She didn't say anything. She simply sank to her knees beside him and took him into her arms, holding him tightly. He threw his arms around her neck and sobbed into her shoulder, his back heaving.

She didn't know if he was crying because his father's death, or if he was crying because Heather sort of turned on him for a few moments, but either way, Astrid decided that it didn't matter, because Hiccup was still suffering, no matter what caused it.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," she whispered, although she knew in her heart that it wasn't "okay". It took all of her willpower not to cry along with Hiccup. Stoick was dead, and chances were, Drago had all the dragons under the mind control of his Alpha.

As if confirming what she was thinking, she suddenly heard Drago's voice: "Gather the men, and lead them to Berk!" he shouted. She heard wings flapping, and she watched as dragons shot into the sky. All the dragons, including their own: Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf and Belch...along with all the dragons from Valka's nest. The Alpha retreated into the ocean, and the dragons flew over him.

Astrid wanted to stop them…

But there was no possible way for her to do that.

Then, just as Hiccup pulled away from her and wiped furiously at his eyes, the sound of flapping wings met Astrid's ears again, only this time, the sound was getting louder, not quieter.

And all at once, Drago landed in front of them, mounted on Toothless' back. The dragon's eyes were still narrowed into slits, and it snarled threateningly.

This wasn't Toothless. Well, it was, but in a way, it wasn't. The dragon no longer had conscience. It didn't know what it was doing. The Night Fury could murder a thousand people, and it wouldn't even know what was happening.

Toothless - the real Toothless - probably didn't even know that he killed Hiccup's father. He was an innocent murderer, despite how crazy it sounded.

"Look at what we have here," Drago said, his voice deep and menacing, like it always was. "The great Dragon Master."

Hiccup lifted his head. As soon as he saw Toothless' state, his eyes were overwhelmed by fury. "What are you doing!?" Hiccup yelled, shooting to his feet and attempting to run forward. Astrid was quicker than he was, and she managed to wrap her arms around his waist before he got far. "TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup shouted desperately. He struggled against Astrid's hold, but to no avail. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Hiccup demanded Drago.

Astrid didn't remember Hiccup being this strong, and she struggled to hold him back, yanking him backwards every so often when he threatened to pull her and himself forward.

Drago only chuckled. "The great Dragon Master," he said slowly. "Have you no shame?"

Hiccup struggled even harder against Astrid, and she held him tighter in response.

"Do you ever feel as though," Drago said slowly, savoring his words, "you are a disgrace to your family? Your father? Your father died because of you. Shameful."

"Don't EVER speak of my father!" Hiccup screamed, and Astrid tightened her grip around his waist. She was sure she was going to crack one of his ribs if she held any tighter.

"Hiccup, you need to stop!" Astrid said as loud as she dared. "You need to calm...down..."

"Even your name disgraces your family," Drago went on to say. "Hiccup. Hic-cup. Worthless. A runt to his tribe. What shame you must feel, and what shame you put on your family. A hiccup for an heir...your father must have been _so_ disappointed."

"SHUT UP!" Hiccup shouted, but there was a crack in his voice that Astrid didn't fail to notice. "Don't you DARE talk about my father like that!"

"Why not?" Drago obviously didn't heed Hiccup's warning, and Astrid held Hiccup back tightly. It was hard to do; restrain him without hurting him, but she managed to do it for his sake. "Why not, oh Dragon Master? Is it because you know I'm right?"

Hiccup stopped struggling all at once, and his knees threatened to buckle. His legs were wobbling uneasily, and for a few moments, Astrid was worried he would collapse, then and there.

Instead, he lifted his head and glared at his enemy. "Let my dragon go," he ordered.

Drago shook his head with a small chuckle. "He's not your dragon anymore," he said. Toothless growled at Hiccup as if emphasising Drago's words. "He belongs to the Alpha, and the Alpha belongs to me. I have risen above dragons. I control the dragons, just as was always meant to be."

"Please let him go." Hiccup's voice was reduced to a small plea, and for a moment, Astrid was shocked by how quickly his voice changed. It went from demanding to begging in a split second.

"I don't think so, Dragon Master," Drago said in response. "Dragon Master" was a mock now, and Astrid could see that Drago was using it just to taunt Hiccup. As if reminding him of his failure. As if reminding him of the shame Hiccup must have felt.

"I watched my village burn," Drago said, raising his staff threateningly. Hiccup didn't back down, and neither did Astrid, but Astrid could still feel Hiccup tense in her grip. "And now, you will watch your village __die__."

He brought his bullhook down, right on Hiccup's head. Almost instantly, he sank to the ground, his eyes closed, unconsciousness overwhelming his being.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted; she didn't have enough time to catch him, but she knew he wasn't dead; just unconscious. She snarled at Drago, her teeth bared, sounding more like an enraged dragon than a girl. She drew her axe, ready to attack Drago then and there.

Before she even had the chance to, Drago brought his bullhook down against her head as well. It smacked against her skull, and despite her strong power of will, she found herself sinking to the ground, her head throbbing as if it had a heartbeat.

She wanted to stand again and fight, but there was no way. She couldn't move. __Get up, get up, get up,__ she screamed at herself, but nothing happened. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't move. She couldn't move. Her vision was fading. She tried to keep her eyes open, but she no longer had power over her body.

At length, she shut her eyes against her will, and unconsciousness swept over her.

...

Astrid groaned. Her head felt as though it had been on the wrong end of Ruffnut and Tuffnut's explosions, and for a few moments, all she could see was a spinning whirl of different colors she couldn't make out no matter how hard she tried. She sat up slowly, her hands pressing against cold, jagged, wooden floorboards. __Where am I?__ she wondered to herself.

She straightened her back, and then, everything came rushing back at her like water leaking through a dam.

 _That's right…_

As soon as she recalled what had happened previously, she assessed her surroundings. Wood; jagged wood with nails hammered in no direct order to pull the pieces of wood together and keep them in place.

A cage, possibly?

The ground suddenly lurched beneath her, and Astrid was thrown a good three feet to the left with an indignant yelp of surprise and shock.

No, not a cage.

A ship.

She was below the decks of a ship. Drago's ship, probably. The last thing she remembered was Drago knocking her and Hiccup unconscious…

Wait a minute...

Where was Hiccup?

She looked around wildly for her friend, and then, finally, she saw him, leaning up against the wall, still out cold. A small stream of light shone through a crack in the wall, and Astrid could see his unconscious face due to the small bit of light she had been supplied with.

"Hiccup," she breathed, quickly trying to make her way towards him without getting thrown across the wooden floorboards again. Before she got far, however, she was yanked to a stop by something fastened around her ankle.

A shackle. One end of it clasped around her ankle, and the other end of it attached to the wall. Growling, she yanked on the chain in an attempt to break it. Nothing happened. It was fastened tight, and no matter how hard she pulled on it, it remained that way.

At length, she gave up entirely and looked back at Hiccup.

"Hiccup," she gasped out, trying to reach out to him. She managed to grab his hand, and when she did, she pulled him towards her.

As soon as he was moved, he jerked awake, his eyes bolting open instantly. He groaned and grabbed at his head for just a moment before his eyes fell on Astrid again.

"Astrid?" he asked in confusion, his voice quiet. "Ahgh...what happened…?"

"We were knocked unconscious," Astrid explained quickly. "We're below the decks of Drago's ship now, I think." She looked down; his one ankle was also shackled, just like hers. She grit her teeth. She wanted to kill Drago and his men so badly for this. There was also a large, purple knot on Hiccup's head, right next to the gash on his forehead.

Hiccup reached out to her slowly and touched her temple. "Your head…" he whispered.

Astrid winced when his fingers made contact with her skin; she must have had a pretty bad bruise there for a simple, gentle touch to hurt. " _ _My__ head?" she questioned, grabbing his wrist and pulling his hand away from her face. "What about __your__ head?" She touched the almost black bruise. It was a lot more swollen than she wanted it to be. His forehead was coated with dry blood from his gash, and she touched the skin around it gently.

Hiccup winced and clenched his teeth. "I'm fine," he said, although it was clear he was lying for her sake. "Really, I'm fine."

"You're just about as fine as I am, and neither one of us are fine," Astrid said simply. She yanked her chains again. "They chained us," she growled. "They __chained us,__ Hiccup. They chained us as though we were wild animals."

Hiccup examined his own chain and sighed. "I...I guess they really don't want us escaping," he said, his voice low. "Even...even though there really isn't any escaping for us anyway, down here…" He looked at the walls, the floor, and then up at the ceiling. Solid wood. No way through it.

Even if they __could__ manage to break their chains and get out from below the decks, Drago wasn't going to let them escape. His men would capture them once more before they even had a chance at leaving.

Hiccup didn't even look like he was thinking about a way to escape. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "Drago chains us like we're the animals," he said. "He chains us like we're the barbarians, when really...really…the only barbarian around here...is Drago."

Astrid agreed with him wholeheartedly, but she said nothing out loud. Hiccup didn't look like he was done ranting yet.

"I mean," Hiccup said slowly, "what kind of person would...would _do_ something like Drago did? Drago...he killed all those Chieftains all those years ago...and now...he's...he's killed…"

Astrid could see where he was going now. Drago killed his father, and Astrid knew that much. She also knew that Hiccup was trying to hide his tears, most likely for her own sake.

Really, though, he was just making it worse for himself, and for her.

"I don't get it," Hiccup said. "I just don't get it, Astrid."

She didn't say anything. Instead, she crawled forward as far as her chain would allow her and grabbed Hiccup's hand. Hiccup glanced up at her for a moment, and then, he lowered his knees and pushed himself towards her as well, leaving no slack on his chain.

She knew that if she managed to grab his chain, between him and her, they could break it free from the wall, but it was just out of her reach. It was as though Drago did it on purpose; chained Hiccup just far away enough from her, and chained Astrid just far away enough from him, as if taunting them, silently laughing at them, leaving just enough distance so that they could touch each other, but not free each other.

What kind of sick person was Drago?

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Astrid whispered. She flattened her palm against his cheek, but he didn't react to the touch.

"It's not your fault," he said quietly. "It's...it's my fault, if it's anyone's. My Dad told me not to go, and I went anyway. It's my fault we're in this situation. It's...it's my fault that my Dad's...g...gone…"

Astrid lowered her head, remembering everything she had said to Drago about Hiccup and the Berkians, back when they had first seen Drago. She had spilled big time about Berk's dragons, and that was the main reason Drago decided to attack Valka's nest as soon as he did. She shut her eyes guiltily and sighed. "It's not your fault," she said. "If anyone's to blame...it's me."


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! Did you miss me? :D I hope you all enjoyed that last chapter...I quite honestly have no idea how long this fic's gonna be. It might break 30 chapters, so here's hoping! Keep your fingers crossed! XD**

 **AND GUYS, I HAVE A NEW SHIP NOW. I AM BEGINNING TO SHIP HeatherXEret. I don't think there will be any in this particular fic, and I don't know where the HeatherXEret came from! I honestly don't ship Ruffnut and Eret, and I really don't ship anyone else with Eret, and then Heather came along...well, yeah. That happened. Let me know what you think. :)**

 **Shout-outs:**

 **clank2662: Dragon powers rule!**

 **HappyPup1: Maybe not in this particular story, but maybe in another story! :D Thanks for reviewing! And I feel so sorry for Astrid, blaming herself for what happened...poor girl. :(**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Hiccup's a pretty nice guy, and he loves Astrid. Hopefully he won't be mad, because that'll just crush Astrid. :(**

 **LissanFuryEye: Yeah...poor Astrid. I put her, Hiccup, and the other Berkians through a lot of trouble, don't I?**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! I'm glad! :D**

 **Letstellstorys014: You guys got off easy this time. No major cliffhanger! :D I'm glad you like it regardless, and thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: AAAAAHHHH! While reading Legend I was all "Aww I love this what a great story!", and then Prodigy was like "Ooookay, a little sadder now...hopefully it won't get worse..." and then Champion was just like getting hit by a car. A car of FEEEEEEELS! THE FEELSIES ARE REALSIES! GAH! *dies***

 **alpha darkwolf: There will be a LOT of Hiccstrid later on...just saying. :) And does anyone else in Hiccup's family die...hmm...well...right now, I don't think so, but honestly, you never really know with me. _I_ don't even know for sure where this story's going. I mean, I have a good idea for it and all, but plans change. :) Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad I'm keeping you in suspense. :D **

**Drew Luczynski: YEEEESS! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KILL DRAGO! AND THE EVIL BEWILDERBEAST, BUT YEAH, DRAGO FIRST! KILL THE MADMAN! DIE! DIE! DIE!**

 **ParagonNight666: But now you're making me want to bow more! *bows almost touching the ground* There! I done it! :D And wow, that's quite the compliment! Thanks so much! :D**

 **Dria Haddock II: That just about sums it up...XD**

 **neobendium: Wow, I'm glad I'm not on YOUR bad side! Or am I, because of everything I'm doing to the characters...? Uh oh. *runs***

 **LunarCatNinja: I can't promise anything good will happen in the near future...**

 **Ultimateblack: YES! YES, EXACTLY! That's what I love so much about the HTTYD series. We have the humor elements, but it's not over done to the point where it's just ridiculous to watch and gets on your nerves. We have that emotional element, and then we have Hiccup and Astrid's romance element, and I just have to say that I LOVE Hiccup and Astrid's romance, especially in the second film, because they don't act stupid around each other or get really awkward. It's really sweet, and I respect it. Well done, DreamWorks. Well done. :)**

 **GuardianDragon98: OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, THAT IS CREEPY! You know what? I WAS THINKING ABOUT DOING THAT EXACT SAME THING! THAT IS SO FREAKY! SOOOO FREAKY! But great minds think alike, I suppose, am I right? ;) So, Heather and Eret won't have that talk this chapter; it'll be in a later chapter, but yeah, there WILL be a talk like that! I'm shipping Ereth (HeatherXEret) now...or would it be called Heathet? I'm leaning towards Heathet...I don't know, though. XD**

 **Guest: Aww, thanks! I'm glad you like them! :D**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: I'm glad you're looking forward to the Hiccstrid story! I need more Hiccstrid in future Race to the Edge episodes! Maybe Hiccup can get hurt or sick and Astrid can look after him...I've always wanted to see that! I wanted to see it so so so so so BAD! Here's hoping for more Hiccstrid in the next thirteen episode chunk of Race to the Edge! :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: I need more superglue...I ran out a while back. :)**

 **Toothless801: *shares cookie with you* I WILL GO DOWN WITH THE SHIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPP! GAH! *drowns in ocean of feels* *gets revived* Yeah, so that's pretty much the story of my life! I join a fandom, I die a little on the inside, continue on, die again, and KEEP DYING AGAIN AND KEEP REVIVING BECAUSE THE FANDOMS ARE TOO AMAZING AND I HAVE NOOOOO BRAAAKKKKEEESSSS! I HAVE NO BRAAAKKEESSS! *crashes into mound of feels* GAH! :D Thanks so much for your review! I always look forward to them. :D**

 **Iris Patton: We will have to see where this is heading. I cannot spoil anything yet.**

* * *

Heather's fury was unmatched. Never before had she ever felt this furious. Not even when Dagur wounded Hiccup. Not even when Dagur's sister, Athena the Unhinged, threatened to lay siege to Berk unless they handed Hiccup over to the Berserkers.

Drago killed her father.

Drago used Toothless to kill her father.

Drago tried to kill her with Windshear.

Drago almost killed Valka using Windshear.

Drago led his men to battle.

Drago let his Alpha kill Valka's Alpha.

Because of Drago, dragons and people suffered death and injury.

And now, Drago thought he had the right to mess with her brother, and one of her greatest friends. How _dare_ Drago? Even so much as touching Hiccup was enough to make Heather want to kill him, but kidnapping Hiccup, and kidnapping Astrid as well…?

That was just taking it too far.

Heather quickly opened the note in a mad haste, reading over the messily written words sprawled out on the paper: _The Dragon Master is mine now._

That was all it said. Heather looked up at her mother. "How do you know he has Astrid?" Heather asked instantly; she knew it was a stupid question, but at the same time, she had to know.

"We found Astrid's axe with the note," Valka explained instantly. She took the note, and that was when Heather realized she was practically ripping it in half in her fury. "According to Snotlout, it was Astrid's axe."

Heather shot to her feet instantly. Her legs wobbled, but she was able to ignore it easily. "Where is Drago now?" she snarled; she was pretty sure she hadn't meant to sound that angry, especially towards her mother, but she simply couldn't help it any longer.

"Drago said he was going to Berk," Fishlegs spoke up from behind Valka. "That was the last thing we heard from him before he left. He has all the dragons...we have no way of getting back to Berk, either."

Heather's mind spun, and her heart raced. There had to be some way to get back home, even if she they had to build rafts. No, rafts would take too long. Berk would be in ruins before they even had the chance to defend it. The Berserkers were still at Berk, and they would help the Berkians when Drago's men arrived, but at the same time, Heather didn't want to risk it.

They had to either get to Berk at the same time as Drago and his men did, or they had to get to Berk before Drago and his men did.

But how?

 _Come on, Heather, think. What would Hiccup do if he were in your shoes? What would Hiccup do? What would Hiccup do?_ Heather recounted everything, starting from the very beginning of the day: dragon racing, hunting down Hiccup, meeting Eret, trying to warn Berk, leaving when Stoick told them that Berk's dragons were to be downed, talking to Eret, running off again with Hiccup when Stoick threatened to take them back to Berk, their mother kidnapping them, meeting the good Alpha, learning all about Valka's dragons, the injured dragons, the baby dragons -

Heather's mind screeched to a hault.

 _The baby dragons._

"The babies!" Heather shouted so suddenly that all the Berkians present jumped almost a foot in the air. "The baby dragons! They don't listen to the Alpha, do they, Mom? You said they didn't. They don't listen to anyone!"

She was trying to keep her mind off her father. _Don't think about Dad, don't think about Dad,_ she told herself over and over, although she found herself wondering what had happened to the body of her father. Had the others already sent it off on a pyre, or was it still lying on the cold hard ground?

Her question was answered before she even asked it:

"We have to send Stoick off to Valhalla," Valka said quietly. "But...we also have to save Hiccup and Astrid and get to Berk before Drago does…" The woman looked torn. One hundred percent torn. "The baby dragons will work," Valka said, nodding her head. "They will work."

"Then how about this," Heather said quickly, calculating her plan in her head. "I'll go back to Berk on a baby dragon, you guys can send my Dad off, and then meet me at Berk when you're finished."

"But...but Heather," Fishlegs uttered quietly. "Stoick is...well, _was_ , your father. Don't you...don't you want to be there?" He looked ready to cry; in fact, there were tear stains on his cheeks from earlier tears that had been shed, no doubt when Stoick's death first became known.

Heather wanted to stay for the funeral...but at the same time...she didn't think she would be able to handle it without breaking down or attacking someone again. "I do want to be there," she said, "but...I...I need to go back to Berk. I'm the Chief of the Berserker tribe, and…"

She never thought she would actually say this.

"A Chief protects their own," Heather said. "It's what Hiccup would want. I'm going back to Berk on a baby dragon, and you all can catch up with me as soon as you can."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and raced outside. She didn't know where she was going, but she had a pretty good idea. It was pretty obvious; there were streaks of light, and she ran in their direction until finally, she made it to open air.

She glanced back one last time at the mouth of the tunnel before turning and continuing her sprint, her feet pounding against the ground as she ran. She ran into what was left of the ice cave, jumping over jagged spikes of ice and shivering only momentarily.

And there they were: the baby Scuttleclaws, growling and trilling at each other like kittens. A green one and a blue one jumped a red one, and in response, the red one growled and attacked them back.

Heather's shoulders slumped. _This might be harder than I thought…_

She clapped her hands together. "Alright!" she called, using her best Chief voice, making sure it was loud and projected. "I need one of you to help me!"

A purple Scuttleclaw stepped towards her, its eyes wide and innocent. It tilted its head and cooed in question.

 _Huh, maybe not so hard after all_.

She reached her hand out towards the dragon. "Hey, little fella," she said. "You wanna help me out?"

The dragon cooed again, moving its head closer. Just an inch more, and it would be pressing its head into Heather's hand.

But then, the dragon lurched forward and grabbed the handle of her axe in its gums. Before Heather even had the chance to react, the dragon yanked the weapon away from her, and darted in the opposite direction.

It took Heather a moment to realize just what had happened, and when she figured it out, she was torn between feeling furious and feeling shocked. "H-Hey!" she shouted, chasing after the Scuttleclaw. "Give that back! It's mine!"

The dragon turned and growled at her, her axe still in its mouth, just before darting in the opposite direction again. Heather was really, really, _really_ mad now. How _dare that little dragon_. Of _all the times_ …

The Scuttleclaw spread its wings and shot into the air. Heather knew it was it. She was going to lose her best axe to a baby Scuttleclaw who listened to no one.

But then, before the dragon got far, it crashed head-first into a still standing spike of ice, and Heather's axe flew from its mouth. Heather was quick to run and grab her weapon, and when she had it safely in her grip again, she looked back at the purple Scuttleclaw, who was still disoriented by the crash.

Heather waved the axe in the dragon's face tauntingly. "I wish I could say I felt sorry for you," she said casually, "but I _don't_."

The dragon cooed sadly, its tail dragging against the ground. Heather, all of a sudden, felt sorry for the dragon. _Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, stupid conscience…_

"Hey, look, I'm sorry," she said quickly, and then, she stopped. Maybe she could somehow ride this dragon to Berk. Maybe somehow, she could use her axe to lure it to Berk. But how?

She looked around and found a large, thick stick, and as soon as she saw it, she raced towards it and grabbed it. Sturdy, and resistant enough. Strong...yes, this would work great. She pulled a thick length of cord out of the pouch at her belt and tugged on it to make sure the seams were tight.

Yes, tight and strong enough to hold even Heather's weight. After this discovery, she tied one end of the cord to the end of the stick, and then tied the other end of the cord around the handle of her axe.

It looked like a makeshift fishing pole, with her axe as the bait. She lifted her head; the dragon was still slinking away sadly, its tail drooping as if the limb alone was sorrowful.

"Oooh, Thief!" Heather taunted, swinging her axe back and forth by holding the end of the stick. The purple Scuttleclaw turned to look at her, its eyes brightening when it saw her axe. "Oh, you want the axe?" Heather asked. "Then why don't you come and get it!"

Thief nodded eagerly and ran at Heather, taking giant bounds as it went. Heather waited for just the right moment... _three, two, one_ , and then, she jumped. Thief ran underneath her, and she landed on the dragon's back. As soon as the Scuttleclaw realized this, it shot into the sky.

Heather swung her "fishing pole" forward in front of the dragon's face, and once the dragon saw the axe, it growled in excitement and pounded its wings against the air, chasing after the axe that it would never catch.

Heather couldn't believe this was actually working. She turned the stick, and sure enough, Thief turned right along with it.

It was working. Heather made a mental fist-bump. Hiccup would be so proud of her.

Oh, right. She still needed to get back to Berk in time to help Hiccup and Astrid, before it was too late for all of them.

She turned the stick in the direction of Berk, and Thief growled happily, flapping desperately after the axe. Despite everything she had been through, Heather couldn't help but smile.

She decided to name the purple, female Scuttleclaw "Thief", and that was a name Heather wouldn't soon forget.

"Come on," Heather chanted to herself as they flew through the sky. "This is for my friends...for my family."

She thought about her now deceased father. Her mother and friends were probably having his funeral right about now. She thought about Windshear; Drago had the Razorwhip under his control as well. There was no telling what kind of danger Windshear was in.

And then there were Hiccup and Astrid, who were in who-knew how much danger. You never were able to tell when it came to Drago Bludvist.

 _This is for my family._

"Let's go, Thief!" Heather commanded. Even though the Scuttleclaw didn't listen to anyone, and even though she didn't know her name, and even though the only thing keeping the Scuttleclaw motivated was the axe hanging directly in front of her face, Heather still felt encouraged.

She was going to save her friends, and her family, and her people.

One way, or another.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello wonderful people! :D The story's gonna start picking up pace here pretty soon...no major cliffhanger, I don't think, in this chapter. The next chapter's cliffhanger might be a little bigger, but y'know how it goes with me. I can't stop doing cliffhangers. :) So, thanks for all the reviews last chapter, and as a token of my thanks (as usual), shout-outs to all you people who are more awesome than me!**

 **BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN, I AM GOING TO GIVE THE WARNING:**

 **MY HIATUS BEGINS SEPTEMBER 1ST AND ENDS OCTOBER 1ST. For those of you who have not followed me on fanfiction since the beginning, every two months, I go on a one month hiatus. Except, my Fanfiction anniversary is in September (September 12th), and so I will probably post a celebration one-shot then to, you know, celebrate. :) **

**So, as for this story, I'm pretty sure it'll break thirty chapters, so I'm going to finish this fic, even if it goes into September. So, y'know, just a little heads-up. :D**

 **So now, without further adieu, shout-outs:**

 **HappyPup1: GO HEATHER! GO GO GO! :D**

 **clank2662: *steps into room* *hears argument* *steps back out* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D :D :D**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: I have two modes: Happy fangirl writer mode, and KILL DRAGO KILL DRAGO DIE DIE DIE! mode. :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yeah, I think it'll have a happy ending. It won't end with a funeral, or anything, I promise. ;)**

 **AnimeAngel: STORMLESS! :D :D :D My ships so far are Hiccstrid, Heathet, Rufflout, a little bit of Heathlegs, and of course Stalka. :D COMMANDER JAMESON. WE DO NOT LIKE COMMANDER JAMESON. I HATED HER AS MUCH AS I HATE DRAGO, IF NOT MORE. I WANT HER DEAD (even though she already died). I WILL KILL HER AGAIN! DIE DIE DIE!**

 **neobendium: Please don't hurt me! If you kill me now, you'll never know what happens to Hiccup and Astrid! :)**

 **ParagonNight666: Aww, thanks. You're sweet. :) And you can bow, just so long as I can bow back, and as long as it stands that you are the awesome one! I will not be told otherwise! *bows***

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: Heather's pretty cool. She can handle herself. :D I love the Scuttleclaws! I wish we'd seen more of them in HTTYD2, but alas! THEY ARE SO CUTE, THOUGH! :D :D :D MORE HICCSTRID! MORE HICCSTRID! I DON'T CARE WHAT IT IS AS LONG AS IT IS HICCSTRID! :D BRING IT ON! :D YOU are brilliant! :D**

 **Ultimateblack: No, they're going to have the funeral like what happened in the movie. Heather's the only one going back to Berk at this point. :) But yeah, good luck if they were trying to bring it back on the Scuttleclaws...**

 **GuardianDragon98: Coincidences, are, AWESOME! :D Sweet suffering smoldering forge hammers, that's awesome! :D I'm glad the shipping name works. I honestly can't think of anyone else to ship Eret with, since I really don't ship Ruffet very much, and although I do ship a little bit of Heathlegs, I just can't imagine Heather and Fishlegs together. Soooo, put Eret and Heather together, and YOU HAVE A SHIP! :D**

 **Letstellstorys014: I'm cool with whatever strategy Heather uses as long as Drago ends up dead and not anyone else! :D GO HEATHER! DESTROY DRAGO!**

 **IonitaMircea32: Oh, you don't have to apologize for not reviewing every chapter. Busy is part of life. :) Haha, the western theme in the review you did was perfect! I was laughing so hard by the "*rides off into the sunset*" part! :D I'm glad you liked the baby dragon's personality! That was one thing I wished we saw more of in HTTYD2: the baby dragons. THEY ARE SO ADORABLE! :D**

 **Drew Luczynski: TALK SCENE! FIGHT THIS, DRAGONS!**

 **thearizona: Hahaha! Yes! Let me get my reading glasses! YES! Over thirty chapters, I'm hoping. I'll probably reach thirty for sure. Oh yeah, Drago'd better be on the look out, because HERE COMES HICCUP AND HEATHER HADDOCK AND NO ONE MESSES WITH HICCUP AND HEATHER HADDOCK...AND LIVES! :D**

 **nightfury123: I'm glad you liked that line! Really, I am! :D And I'll look that up on wikia and see what I can find on the subject, thanks! :D Thanks for reviewing and letting me know what parts you liked! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: SUPER GLUE! *holds it over head* THANK YOU! :D FEEEEEEEELS!**

 **Sadielover1470: Aww, thank you! You're awesome! :D**

 **LissanFuryEye: Yep! Just about! Go Heather! :D**

 **Toothless801: I LOVE HEATHER. I LOVE THE BABY DRAGONS. I HATE DRAGO. DIE DRAGO. KILL DRAGO, HEATHER! :D GO GO GO GO GO! I hope Heather comes back in a later episode of Race to the Edge. I will be sorely disappointed if she doesn't. :)**

 **Nightfury153: Yeah...poor Stoick. But at least both of Hiccup and Heather's parents didn't die!**

 **Dria Haddock II: I might add a little HeatherXEret. Nothing extreme, of course, but there will be a few moments in here somewhere. :)**

 **Iris Patton: Unfortunately, even though you don't mind having it spoiled, I cannot spoil anything yet. You'll have to wait and see how this turns out! :)**

* * *

Berk was in sight sooner than later, just as the sun began to set. Heather examined the shores of Berk carefully, making sure she remained on Thief's back without slipping off the dragon (she had done that once or twice by accident - thank goodness for the dragon's love of axes, or Heather would have been a gonner).

No sign of Drago's ships, and Heather sighed with relief. Good. She had beat Drago at arriving at Berk. Now, she needed to warn the village of the upcoming attack. The Berserkers would follow her, and she knew that the Berkians would follow her as well. It was just a matter of preparing them.

The Scuttleclaw landed in the village plaza, and instantly, Heather was swarmed by villagers who were all asking about a thousand questions at once.

"Lady Heather!" a Berserker shouted; a battle commander, Heather noticed after listening to his voice. His name was Gunnar, and he was the best battle commander Berserk knew. Heather knew she would have to talk to him first about getting the Berserkers ready for war. "Where have you been?" Gunnar demanded. "The others have been worried sick looking for you!"

"Where's Stoick?" another villager - a Berkian, Heather realized - demanded. "And Hiccup? And the other dragon riders for that matter?"

Voices mingled with other voices, and suddenly, Heather couldn't make anything out. She dismounted Thief, leaving her with the axe and patting her head with a small "Thank you" escaping her lips. The Scuttleclaw laid on top of Heather's axe and curled around it like a mother dragon would do to her eggs.

"Alright, alright!" Heather tried, but she couldn't get her voice over the many other voices. At length, when she had finally had enough, she screeched, "STOOOOOOOOOP!" at the top of her lungs.

Instantly, her request was granted. The Berserkers and the Berkians silenced themselves immediately, listening closely for what she had to say next. Heather took in a deep breath to calm herself. _Where am I supposed to begin?_ she thought to herself.

"Drago Bludvist is a threat!" Heather shouted. Some of the older men present murmured to themselves, and the younger Berkians and Berserkers looked at Heather in confusion. "Drago Bludvist...is a madman! He is the cause for the death of Stoick the Vast!"

Instantly, people began gasping in shock. "Stoick!?" one of them shouted.

"No, it can't be!" another agreed.

"It is so!" Heather didn't want to continue, but she knew that she needed to. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, rightful Chief of Berk now that Stoick has been murdered, and Astrid Hofferson are in Drago Bludvist's custody as we speak!" Heather shouted to the crowds. "And Drago and his men are sailing towards this island!"

Heather knew an outrage was bound to happen, so she made sure to continue before it got out of hand. "We must defend this island for all it's worth!" Heather shouted. "Berserkers and Berkians, we need to start by getting the elders and children into the Great Hall. They should be safe there. Gunnar." The Berserker battle commander stepped forward, his armor gleaming in the moonlight. "Get the men ready. Berkians, and Berserkers! At this rate, Drago should reach the shores by daybreak, and we have to be ready for him when he gets here!"

For the longest moment, nobody moved.

"Well!?" Heather demanded. "You heard me! Get a move on! Stat!"

Men began running instantly in all directions; Berserkers and Berkians alike. Some of them shepherded the younglings and the elders towards the Great Hall, while others ran for the armory. The Berserkers ran back to their ships to gather their own weapons, which they had brought.

Heather walked amongst the chaos of men preparing for battle, taking deep breaths through her nose. She was aware of Thief following her from behind, and when she turned around, she saw that the dragon had her axe in its mouth, and the Scuttleclaw smiled fondly.

Heather smiled back faintly and took the axe. For once, the Scuttleclaw didn't protest. "Thanks, girl," Heather said quietly, rubbing the dragon's muzzle. "You go on and find somewhere safe, alright?"

Thief nodded, spread her wings, and shot into the sky, making for the forest of Raven Point. Heather sighed heavily. She missed Windshear. She missed her father. She missed Hiccup. She wanted to see Hiccup leading the Berkians; technically, since Stoick was dead, that would make Hiccup rightful Chief of Berk.

Unfortunately, though, he was in Drago's hands. Heather could only hope that the madman hadn't hurt him in any way.

Heather was also worried about Astrid. Was the girl alright? Heather and Astrid had grown closer over the years to the point where they were practically best friends. Heather never showed Astrid her secret to making her axe, instead teaching the Berkian tricks Heather had learned over the years.

Heather would hate to see anything bad happen to that girl.

She took in another deep breath, and exhaled deeply as well. She glanced up at the sky. The men would be ready within a few hours, long before daybreak.

"Well, Drago," Heather said, gripping her axe tightly as she looked up at the sky, speaking as though somehow, Drago could hear what she was saying, "when you get here, we'll be ready for you. And you're going to be sorry you were ever born."

…

Hiccup turned to look at Astrid, his expression shocked. Astrid looked back down at the ground, feeling ashamed with herself. It was her fault that Stoick had been killed. If she hadn't told Drago so many details about Berk and them being able to train dragons, and if she hadn't blabbed about Hiccup being Stoick's son, and if she hadn't told Drago about Heather and the Berserkers, maybe the entire fight could have been avoided. Maybe Stoick would have still been alive.

She lowered her head again, trying to avoid Hiccup's lingering gaze, and then found that even though she wasn't looking at him, she could still _feel_ his eyes bearing down at her. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping that somehow, she could hide her guilt behind her eyelids.

" _You?"_ Hiccup blurted; he was the first one to break the silence, and as soon as he spoke, Astrid nodded shakily, still not opening her eyes. She didn't want to see the look on Hiccup's face. She didn't want to see the terror in his eyes when he realized the truth.

"How can it _possibly_ be _your_ fault, Astrid?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid looked up at him slowly. He didn't look angry. He looked simply...confused. Shocked. Worried, even, about something she didn't understand. Why was he worried? Worried about her? Maybe he thought she was losing her mind. He looked confused by what she had said, and she knew that there was no way to avoid the conversation.

"Because!" she said quickly, her voice rising to a frantic panic attack. "I was the one who told Drago about Berk training dragons!"

Hiccup looked at her, clearly confused as to what the heck she was talking about. At long last, she sighed.

"Before we met up with you and Heather at the nest," she said, "I led the other dragon riders to go look for you, Heather, Gobber and Stoick. I thought that maybe Drago had captured you guys...but, well, Drago captured us. He was going on about…" Astrid thought back, but she really couldn't remember many details. "Something about controlling dragons, or whatever," she said. Dragon riders, Eret mentioned, and Drago was furious."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, so what?" he said. "What does this have to do with you?"

"Because I told him!" Astrid shouted. "I told Drago about you having a Night Fury, and I told him about the entire population of Berk having dragons! I told him about Berserk, and Heather, and about you two being menacing dragon masters...the best dragon masters this world has ever seen. That's...that's what made Drago attack the nest so quickly. That's what made him attack. The reason your father is dead...is...is because of me."

She lowered her head, refusing to look at Hiccup's face. She imagined it all: he would look at her, betrayed. Maybe he would yell at her. He might even hit her, but that was alright with her. She deserved it, she thought. If Hiccup tried to strike her, she wouldn't move. She would let it happen, because she knew she would deserve it.

But nothing ever came. Hiccup never made a move to harm her, and he never yelled at her. She glanced back up at him nervously, staring at him through her bangs. that fell in front of her eyes.

He looked...sad. His eyes, intense green and glistening with tears as he met her blue eyes, his expression soft, his shoulders relaxed.

"Oh, Astrid…" he whispered. She lifted her head, and it was then she realized that she had tears running down her cheeks. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she was scared. She was scared; she felt as though it were her fault, because in truth, she thought it was. She didn't know how Hiccup could deny it.

"You were just doing what you thought was right, like you always do," Hiccup said calmly. He put his palm against her cheek, and she leaned against his hand without thinking about what she was doing. "It's not your fault-"

"Yes it is," Astrid interrupted. "It is my fault and you can't deny it. If I hadn't blabbed-"

"Astrid, listen to me." Hiccup moved his hand off her cheek and grabbed both of her hands, holding them in his own. His voice was stern, and serious, and Astrid hardly ever heard him sound so serious, so she kept her mouth shut and listened to what he had to tell her. "Astrid," Hiccup repeated, "the only reason you were taken by Drago, was because I didn't listen in the first place. If I had stayed on Berk, like my Dad told me to, none of this would have ever happened."

He lowered his gaze to their hands.

"I don't want you to blame yourself," he said, not meeting her eyes. He squeezed her hands in reassurance. "It's not your fault. It's my fault, Astrid. From the very beginning, ever since the first day when I...foolishly ran off to avoid my father, like a toddler would have done. I should have talked to him. I should have listened. I should have taken up the position of Chief when he wanted me to. If I had...this would have all been avoided, Astrid."

He was squeezing her hands so hard to the point where it was almost painful, but Astrid refused to notice it. She could tell Hiccup was frustrated and scared and heartbroken; not because of her, but because of Drago, and because of the death of the man who raised him.

"Hiccup," she said quietly, her voice firm. Hiccup shook his head violently as if to knock himself out of a trance. His grips on her hands loosened, if slightly, and in turn, she loosened her grip as well, yet didn't pull away entirely.

"Hiccup," Astrid repeated, trying to find her words. She was relieved Hiccup wasn't mad at her, but his anger with himself seemed to have increased, and that wasn't something Astrid wanted to happen. He always beat himself up over the little things, like when the twins or Snotlout were hurt while acting like idiots, or when one of the riders got sick…

But this…

The death of Hiccup's father was a big deal, and Astrid knew that if he constantly blamed himself for Stoick's death, it would slowly destroy him from the inside out.

"Hiccup," she repeated yet a third time, only this time, she released one of his hands and hesitantly put her free hand against his cheek. She felt warm drops of water run over her fingers; tears, no doubt. He was crying; something Astrid hardly ever saw him do.

"It's not your fault," Astrid said. "Don't blame yourself, please. Don't do that. If you want to blame anyone for his death...blame Drago. Blame him. It's his fault, not yours. Understand that, alright?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I...I don't think I c-can-"

"You will," Astrid said firmly, taking his hands in hers once again. "You _will_ , and do you know why? Because your father would never blame you. Your father would never want you to blame yourself. Your father would never take back what he did for the world. He saved you, not so you could live blaming yourself, but so you could save others and help them. And he loved you, too, Hiccup. He loved you so much."

Hiccup made a sound in his throat that sounded like a choked sob. "I kn-know," Hiccup whispered. "I...I know he loved me."

"I know you do," Astrid said. "Now listen, Hiccup. Everything Drago said about you shaming your family was a lie. It's a lie. Your father was proud of you, Hiccup. He wasn't ashamed to call you his son."

Hiccup lowered his head again.

"I know it's not going to be easy," Astrid said, "but I'll be here for you. Always. I'll help you...and I know the rest of your friends and family will, too. For now...we need to focus on saving Berk and the Berserkers. Drago said he was heading to Berk with his men."

It took a few moments, but in the end, Hiccup nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "You're...you're right. As soon as we get to Berk, we'll escape, and then...hopefully we can fight this war and win it."

He took in a deep breath.

"For my Dad," he whispered.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello awesome people who are more awesome than I! :D I hope you guys enjoyed last chapter. I had fun writing it, actually, with the talk between Hiccup and Astrid and the HICCSTRID. I love Hiccstrid so mmuuuuucccchhhhh! I want a Hiccstrid episode in Race to the Edge so badly! Let me know if you feel the same way! :D Shout-outs:**

 **LunarCatNinja: FEEEEEEEEEEEELS! Don't die yet, there will be even more feelsie feels to come!**

 **GuardianDragon98: AAH! RAW...EMOTION! AHH!**

 **ParagonNight666: Hahahaha! I'd probably die if I led people to battle. I'd be all awesome like "Everyone! Take arms! To war!" and then I'd actually be the first to die. :/ :D We can BOTH be awesome! Because seriously, reviews make my day, so you've made my day better considerably with all of yours. :D**

 **Literally No One: YES! WE HAVE TO! WE MUST WIN! *sets up more wooden targets* FOR STOICK! FOR HICCUP! FOR THE BERKIANS! FOR HEATHER!**

 **neobendium: Yeah, I think Alpha Toothless is gonna be in here at some point. :) I'm glad you guys don't want to kill me yet, because we have a long road ahead of us with this story! :D**

 **Ultimateblack: I agree. Hiccup is so forgiving it's almost ridiculous. :) And as a fanfiction author, I started off slow. I didn't get very many reviews considering how long my stories were (20 chapters and 47 reviews), and my following has grown considerably since then (this story has 21 chapters now, and it's over 300 reviews). So yeah. I started off slow, and the more I wrote, the larger my following became. :)**

 **Iris Patton: You're welcome! :D I love Hiccstrid!**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: I'm glad you're excited to see what happens next! :D Yeah, I agree; it _does_ make the story more interesting when you have to wonder what happens next. :D **

**HappyPup1: The song sounds familiar, but I can't find it in my mind at the moment! Agh, work mind, work! AAAHHHH CRRRRRYYYYY! *cries ocean of tears right alongside you* AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHH! HICCSTRID FEELS! HICCSTRID FEEEEEEEEEELS!**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: YEEEESSSSSS! KILL DRAGO! DIE!**

 **silverwolvesarecool: I'm glad! Thanks! :D**

 **Drew Luczynski: I wish the Alpha wasn't so powerful, or else the dragons WOULD rebel in a heartbeat! ALAS! ALAS! *places bets* I'm betting on the Berkians to win, no matter how they do it! They have to win!**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: Yeah, I'll do the Hiccstrid story when I come out of hiatus, BUT THERE WILL BE A LOT, AND I MEAN A LOT, OF HICCSTRID LEFT TO COME IN THIS STORY! :D :D :D Yeah, I decided to finish this, because you know, it kind of felt wrong leaving you guys hanging in the middle of a cliffhanger-like story like this. :D**

 **clank2662: DEATH TO DRAGO! DIE!**

 **Letstellstorys014: AND THEN WE EAT THE BONES OFF OF...WHATEVER'S UNDER THOSE! *people stare* *looks around sheepishly* Heh heh. That went better in my mind. XD**

 **IonitaMircea32: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's okay, I'm weird sometimes, too. :D WHAT!? THEY MOVED THE RELEASE DATE FOR SEASON 4!? WHAT!? ARE THEY TRYING TO KILL US!? WHAT!? EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN! YAY, we're still getting our Christmas special in January...so...that can be a little something...BUT IT WILL ONLY HOLD THE FANS OFF FOR SO LONG! COME ON, BBC! YOU'RE KILLING US OVER HERE!**

 **AnimeAngel: NO! DRAGO, DAGUR, AND COMMANDER JAMESON CANNOT TEAM UP! THE WORLD WOULD EXPLODE IF THEY DID! NOPE NOPE NOPE! :D :D :D Seriously though, they would be a great team...a murderous team. We should make Hiccup and Astrid pair up with June and Day if Commander Jameson's teaming up with Dagur and Drago...YES! Day, June, Hiccup, and Astrid, VS. Drago, Dagur, and Commander Jameson! :D**

 **Dancing on Dragon Wings: The feelsies are realsies!**

 **LissanFuryEye: Here comes the climax! :D**

* * *

It was midnight when Valka, Gobber, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Eret reached Berk, mounted atop baby Scuttleclaws that seemed to have trouble even staying aloft. Heather looked at the sky and lowered her spyglass only momentarily before waving her friends and mother down towards the plaza.

Only a few hours had passed, and yet, most of them men were already ready for battle. The Berserkers and Berkians divided themselves (with Heather's command) into five groups: one group in the North, one group in the South, one group in the East, one group in the West, and finally, one group in the middle of Berk to defend the Great Hall. Heather didn't know which side Drago would attack from; she figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

If the North side was attacked, the other men would race over and help fend off Drago's men, as was the same if the West side, or the South side, or the East side were attacked. In Heather's mind, it was the perfect battle strategy, and she was pretty sure it was going to work without flaw.

Valka was the first to touch ground on Berk and dismount the mentally disturbed Scuttleclaw she had been riding, and after her followed the other dragon riders in similar fashion. Heather lifted her head and nodded at her mother.

"The men are ready," Heather said plainly. She didn't bring up her father's funeral, or even ask how it went. She knew how it went, if the tear stains on her mother's cheeks were any indication. It went as well as any other funeral; full of tears and mourning people.

"Now, we only have to wait for Drago to arrive," Heather concluded.

Valka nodded silently. The fact that she said nothing did not go unnoticed.

"Did you happen to see any of Drago's ships while you were flying here?" Heather asked after another moment of uncomfortable silence.

Valka nodded, once again silently. "Yes," she said quietly. "We flew overhead. By the rate they were sailing, and by the wind, they should reach here by daybreak, when the sun first rises."

Heather nodded. She already figured just as much. "Any sign of Hiccup and Astrid?" she asked. She knew it was a long shot, but at the same time, she wanted to know if there were any new developments having to do with her brother and best friend.

Valka shook her head, and Heather's shoulders slumped. "Unfortunately, no," the older woman sighed. "Drago must have been keeping them below the decks. Let's hope he hasn't done anything to them yet."

Heather was furious. She was sure that if Drago were to show up early, she would kill him then and there, no questions asked. As sick and twisted as it sounded, she would have _enjoyed_ it.

Valka clenched her fists as if thinking along the same lines as Heather. "Drago has always been a menace," Valka growled. "He has always been a danger. At first it was just dragons, but after today...that man deserves to die. No...he deserves something _worse_ than death. He deserves to be tortured. Tortured for every dragon he wounded, and having a limb chopped clean off and cauterized for every person he killed."

Although Heather was feeling the same way, she felt fear when hearing her mother speak in that manner. "Mom," she said calmly, putting her hand on her mother's shoulder. Valka looked up at her instantly, her eyes wide and full of hatred, not towards Heather, but towards the man who had taken her husband away forever, and taken her son away, hopefully only temporarily.

"Drago will get what he deserves soon enough," Heather said simply. "Right now, we need to finish preparing for war. Round up the baby dragons, get them somewhere safe. In fact…" She turned around. Thief was standing in the background, chasing after a Berkian with an axe. The Berkian was running and shouting angrily at the dragon to cut it out.

Heather looked back at her mother, a small smile playing across her face. "Keep the dragons contained until Drago's men get here," she said. "We'll release the Scuttleclaws on Drago and his trappers."

It sounded like a good idea to her.

The pieces were falling into place.

The playing board was set.

Now, all they had to do was wait for their challenger to arrive.

…

Astrid and Hiccup sat in silence. The wooden boards of the ship beneath them rocked and lurched, sometimes gently and sometimes violently. Astrid glanced over at Hiccup; he was pale in the face, inhaling and exhaling deeply through his mouth. Seasickness, Astrid knew. Hiccup always got seasick when he was little, and nothing had changed. She had hoped that he would have outgrown it by now, but alas. Some things just never changed.

"How should we escape?" Astrid asked after another moment of silence.

Hiccup lifted his head. "I have a few ideas," he said, "but they're-"

Before he even had the chance to continue, the above hatch leading to the decks opened, and a soldier stepped down. Astrid and Hiccup turned to watch him closely, and Astrid assessed him: he was wearing armor. Heavy armor that would withstand even the sharpest of weapons. There was a keyring hooked to his belt; he must have been the keeper of the prison, so to speak.

He was carrying a canteen of what Astrid hoped was water with him, and as soon as he stepped towards them, he threw the canteen down to the floor between them. Astrid and Hiccup stared at it, and then shifted their gaze to the guard.

Then, all at once, Hiccup turned and smiled at Astrid. "Actually," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear, "I think I have another idea."

He winked when Astrid opened her mouth to ask him what he was talking about, and Astrid shut her mouth again. She nodded. She didn't know what Hiccup was planning, but she trusted him with her life. She knew that he would always do what he thought was right, especially in their gravest of situations.

The guard turned and made to leave, when Hiccup called out to him.

"Guard!" he said. His voice wasn't snappy or demanding as Astrid had expected it to be. Instead, his voice was reduced to a pleading cry. Astrid looked at him in confusion, trying to figure out what in the world his plan was.

The guard turned back around. There was a scar on his face that looked much like the scar Eret had on his chest. Astrid felt rage towards Drago; or, even more rage, if even possible at this point. She was sure that if she got any madder, she would simply explode.

"Guard!" Hiccup cried again. "Please! Have mercy!"

The guard only laughed; a harsh sound that sounded remarkably like Drago's terrible laugh. "Have mercy!" he repeated mockingly. "Drago don't take too well to giving people mercy! Especially low-down Berkians like yourselves!"

"Please!" Hiccup continued pleading. When he caught Astrid's perplexed face, he winked at her again, and then turned back to the guard. "What does Drago want? We'll tell him anything! Just let us go, please!"

The soldier took a step forward, and then another. "Ha!" he laughed again. "We don't trust Berkian scum. If I had my ways, I would kill you now, but Drago seems pretty stone-set on having your village killed before your eyes before he kills you. Or...I think he might be thinking about killing _you_ before the eyes of the villagers, just to prove how weak you really are. We are nearing Berk. We should arrive within the hour, in case you and your pathetic friend want to know."

On every other word, he took more steps forward, until he was close enough for Astrid to reach him if she tried. She thought about lurching forward and attacking the guard, but that would never work.

She saw the long dagger he had at his belt, and she knew he wouldn't hesitate to use it against her if she attacked him.

 _It would be stupid to do something like that_ , she decided, remaining still.

Then, all at once, Hiccup lunged, his hands clawing at the trapper's clothes. "Spare us!" he pleaded. "Have mercy!"

Astrid thought about pulling him back. _What is he thinking!? That's exactly what I thought NOT to do!_

But then she saw him grabbing the keyring off the guard's belt as he shouted. She instantly decided that if they wanted to make this convincing, she would have to play along.

"Yes, please!" she pleaded, hoping it didn't sound fake. The guard kept trying to pry Hiccup off of him, and Hiccup didn't let go until he had the keyring in his hands. As soon as he got it, after making sure the guard's attention was on him and not Astrid, he tossed the ring of keys in her direction.

As soon as she caught the keyring, she stuffed it into the pouch she kept at her belt and hoped the soldier didn't hear the clanking of metal against metal as she did. The guard finally managed to fling Hiccup off of him, and Hiccup stumbled backwards, his back slamming against the wall of the ship.

Astrid didn't know if Hiccup meant for that to happen or not, but either way, Hiccup didn't drop out of character. He looked at the guard pleadingly, his eyes wide and horrified.

"Mercy," Hiccup whispered one last time.

The guard brushed the front of his shirt off and huffed. "The only mercy _you'll_ receive," he snarled, "is _death_."

He turned without another word, stomping back to the deck of the ship in obvious fury. Once the hatch closed behind him, Astrid sighed and sat back, breathing heavily with relief.

She glanced over at Hiccup and saw he was doing no different. Hiccup looked back at her, a small, tired smile crossing over his face.

"I can't believe you pulled that off," Astrid whispered happily.

Hiccup smiled back. Then, he pulled something out from behind his back, and after little examination, Astrid realized that it was the guard's dagger.

"I pulled it off alright," Hiccup agreed.

Astrid pulled the ring of keys out of her pouch and jingled them in her hand. "Still, though," she said, "that was way too risky. Don't think about doing that again."

Hiccup set the dagger on the floor and slid it towards her. "You're better with a weapon," he said. "Keep it hidden. Don't take it out unless we absolutely have to."

Astrid nodded and slid the keyring across the floor to him. While he worked to unlock his shackle, Astrid strapped the dagger to her thigh, hiding it beneath her spiked skirt. There was a _shack_ , and Hiccup yanked the shackle off his ankle. As soon as he was free, he stood up and took to unlocking Astrid's shackle as well.

Another _shack_ , and both the dragon riders were free.

Astrid rubbed her ankle briefly before rising to a stand beside Hiccup. Hiccup set the keys at his belt, and then looked at the hatch leading to the main decks of the ship.

"Well, Hiccup," Astrid whispered, "what's our next phase of action?"

Hiccup grinned back, his eyes brightening. "Our next phase of action," he said, "is getting out of here."


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello amazing people! TWO updates today! :D I was going to update this like an hour ago, but our internet gave out, and I fixed it! :D Actually I didn't fix it...I just plugged the cord back in...BUT I AM A HERO! I FIXED THE INTERNET! :D :D :D Haha, oh, I need a life. XD Shout-outs:**

 **HappyPup1: I will take that as a yes! HICCSTRID FOR THE WIN! HICCSTRID, HICCSTRID! OI OI OI! :D**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: That just about sums Hiccup up! :)**

 **Guest (#1): I'm glad you think so! :D**

 **neobendium: It's not weird at all! Give me a hammer and I will _help_ you smash Drago! :D :D :D Haha, I'm glad you like the story so much! :D **

**Literally No One: Yeah...here's hoping! :)**

 **Drew Luczynski: Not actually, no. I have a few ideas, but once again, nothing set in stone. We will see how this turns out. :)**

 **IonitaMircea32: Go Hiccup! Hiccup is an amazing character. :D And YEEEESSSSS, Moriarty, plus Drago, plus Dagur...CRAZY. INSANE VILLAIN TEAM! GREAT VILLAIN TEAM! And I think Hiccup and John would get along well together...I wonder if Sherlock would like Toothless...hmmm...:D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Good things will come...eventually. :)**

 **clank2662: Yeeeessss...interesting.**

 **silverwolvesarecool: I'm glad! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: I don't think _anyone_ would stand a chance if Hiccup, Astrid, Day and June got together (with Toothless and Stormfly, of course). If June had a dragon, I'd probably say she'd have a Changewing...and Day...hmm...what dragon would Day have if he had one? **

**ParagonNight666: SMAUG! TRAIN SMAUG! That's the first thing I thought when I saw The Desolation of Smaug. I was like, "C'mon, Bilbo, TRAIN THAT DRAGON!" and Bilbo didn't...oh well. I don't know if Smaug would be trainable or not. In a way, he reminds me of the Red Death; powerful and not afraid to show it. And I can't help but thank you and my other reviewers for reviewing, because you know, reading reviews makes me want to write more chapters faster. :D**

 **Dria Haddock II: Thanks! Come on, Hiccup and Astrid! You guys have got this!**

 **Iris Patton: Um...me? XD**

 **GuardianDragon98: Eret and Heather interaction! YES! I am looking forward to writing that, too, although it probably won't take place until after the battle, unfortunately, because right now, the Berkians and Berserkers are kind of busy...nothing much. You know. Just...the end of the world. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D**

 **Toothless801: I KNOW, RIGHT!? In "Have Dragon Will Travel Part 2", when Astrid wrapped her arm around Hiccup's shoulders and said, "Well, I still have you!", I was like "Awwwwww!" and then the screen began to fade. I was like "WHAT!? IS THIS THE END!? WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!" *screen goes black* AAAAAAAAH! HICCSTRID FOR ETERNITY! I want to see an episode where Hiccup gets hurt and he and Astrid are stranded on an undocumented island or whatever, so Hiccup uses his brains and Astrid uses her brawn and together they make their way back to Dragon's Edge. I don't know...I have a lot of things I want to happen in Race to the Edge. I'm a dreamer. Aaaahhhh...XD**

 **Letstellstorys014: YES! AND THEN WE WILL EAT THE BONE MARROW UNDER WHATEVER IS UNDER THAT! Ugh, that sounds a lot creepier than I meant it to sound...oh boy. XD**

 **Ultimateblack: Too much mission impossible...HAHAHA! :D Yeah, I feel like Astrid: "I can't believe you pulled that off." XD**

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid stepped towards the stairs leading to the deck of the ship, and as soon as they got close enough, Hiccup put his hand on the latch and paused. He looked back at Astrid, and mouthed, _three, two, one_ …

Then, he slowly turned the latch, and the hatch opened.

Hiccup peered out of the small crack, making sure the coast was clear. He glanced back down at Astrid, and then back out at the deck. No soldiers for as far as he could see. He looked at Astrid, nodded, and then pushed the hatch open the rest of the way.

He climbed out of it and instantly held his hand back down to Astrid, and the girl took it instantly and let him pull her to the deck. He shut the hatch once both of them were free, and then he and Astrid ran for cover, hiding behind barrels.

The air was warm, and the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon. Astrid and Hiccup remained in their hiding spot, glancing out to see if anyone else was coming in their path.

The dragons were flying above the ship they were on, and all the other ships in the fleet as well, their eyes dead and blank, as if the dragons couldn't see anything. Astrid could hear bubbling; the Bewilderbeast in the water, swimming, controlling the rest of the dragons, forcing them to follow him.

"What's the plan now, Hiccup?" Astrid whispered to Hiccup, making sure to keep her voice as quiet as possible while also being able to be heard. She looked at Hiccup, and he looked back for a brief moment before returning his gaze to the decks.

"There has to be some sort of emergency vessel around here somewhere," Hiccup whispered. "Like an escape boat. If we can find that, it should be easy." Even as he spoke, Astrid could hear the _un_ easiness in his voice, although she said nothing out loud. It wouldn't be easy to sneak past all of Drago's ships, and they both knew that fact equally well.

"We'll have to play it by ear is what you mean, then," Astrid concluded. It was a statement; not a question.

Hiccup shrugged. "Basically," he said. "It's okay, though. It'll all work out either way, I promise." He squeezed her hand briefly and then released it. He made ready to stand up, and Astrid heard him whisper, "I won't let anyone else I care about be killed" under his breath.

She knew he hadn't meant for her to hear that last bit, but she did. Hiccup stood up, ducked, and ran, and soon after, Astrid followed.

They crept along the deck of the ship. They heard footsteps come from the left, and they hid behind the mast of the ship, hardly daring to breathe, their backs pressed flat against the wood.

"Hey, Urk!" a gruff voice shouted. "I thought I heard footsteps! Is something wrong?"

Astrid held her breath now. _They heard our footsteps,_ she realized. _Please don't find us, please don't find us…_

"I'm sure it's nothing!" the second voice (Urk, Astrid assumed) shouted back. "Probably just rats! Rats, sneaking about, wreaking havoc...nothing to worry about, Ugh!"

"Maybe we should check on the prisoners again," Ugh suggested.

Hiccup stiffened beside Astrid, and Astrid pretended not to notice, although she was tensing as well as Hiccup. They exchanged nervous glances. If the men discovered their disappearance…

"Why don't _you_ check on the prisoners!" Urk shouted. There was a shove, followed by Ugh stumbling towards the hatch. "I've done it one too many times, Ugh, and I'm not doing it again!"

"Alright, I'm going!" Ugh shouted angrily over his shoulder. "Yeesh! Quit shovin'!"

The hatch leading below decks was opened, and Ugh stepped down.

"Come on, come on, go!" Hiccup whispered harshly, ducking again and running, making a clear sprint across the wooden deck of the ship and hiding behind crates. Astrid hesitated just a moment, and then, she followed him, keeping her footsteps as silent as possible.

Getting caught at this point would be absolutely awful. Sure, she still had the guard's dagger which Hiccup had expertly stolen, but at the same time, she didn't want to fight unless she had to, and fighting probably wouldn't get her anywhere, anyway. If Drago had his entire fleet with him, she would be overwhelmed within an instant.

Hiccup and Astrid hid behind the highly stacked crates, their backs pressed against their wooden sides.

"We need to wait here until we get close enough to Berk," Hiccup spoke quietly, his voice barely audible. "When we do, we'll jump overboard and swim to shore. Sound good?"

Astrid nodded silently. Finding the emergency boat wasn't going to work at this point, especially since the guards were already suspicious. She had confidence that they could wait, though. They just had to stay hidden. The keeper of the prison said that they were bound to reach Berk within the hour, and that was nearly ten minutes ago. It wouldn't be much longer now.

Then, Astrid heard the telltale creak of the hatch opening, followed by frantic footsteps. "They aren't there!" Ugh's voice cried, and Astrid mentally kicked herself. Great, just great. Now the guards knew they weren't there at all.

"Check again," Urk grumbled; he didn't seem very concerned about this. Maybe he had confidence in the shackles that once held Hiccup and Astrid in custody. Maybe he thought Ugh was lying.

"They're not...there!" Ugh repeated, sounding thoroughly furious. Astrid and Hiccup exchanged glances for what felt like the utmost time that day. Now they were _really_ in for it. The guards were on to them, they still hadn't reached Berk, and the only thing they had to defend themselves with was a dagger.

Oh, what joy.

Astrid shut her eyes as Urk scrambled below the decks, hoping silently that Berk would appear right in front of them. She knew it wasn't possible, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to see that island again, that way she and Hiccup could finally escape this ship and be out of Drago's hands. Astrid wanted to get back home, grab an axe, and go back to war against Drago and his trappers.

But they couldn't do that until they reached Berk. They couldn't do _anything_ , really, until they reached Berk.

Astrid just hoped that they were able to, without being ratted out or having their hiding place discovered…

Her wish was not reality, as it seemed, because the next thing she knew, there was another trapper approaching the crates. Astrid and Hiccup held their breath once again, waiting as the footsteps became closer…

And louder. And closer. And louder. And closer.

And _closer_ …

Hiccup and Astrid stood up at the same time, and they shoved two of the highest crates off of the other ones. There was a _CLUMP_ and a _SMACK_ , followed by an "OW!" that could have only come from the trapper. Hiccup and Astrid sank back down into the shadows of the crates again, hoping the trapper would judge the falling crates as an act of poor balance.

"Stupid crates!" the trapper shouted angrily. "Stupid, stupid crates!"

Astrid heard the hatch creak open again, followed by more footsteps. _Probably Urk and Ugh returning_ , she figured.

"Oh, you two!" the trapper whom was hit by the crates shouted angrily. "It's about time you showed up! Remember what Drago said about getting these crates to the other ships!?"

 _Uh oh_.

"We remember!" Ugh's voice shouted. "We remembered! It's just that...well...I heard these footsteps as we were coming to do the job, and then, I went to check on the prisoners, and they...well...they were…"

"Well!? Speak up!"

"The prisoners are gone," Urk announced. For the first time, his voice sounded oddly terrified. "They must have escaped!"

"WHAT!?" the third trapper demanded. "HOW COULD THEY HAVE ESCAPED!?"

"We don't know, Grime!" Ugh cried; his voice sounded very, very pathetic. Astrid wanted to roll her eyes.

She probably would have, if Hiccup and herself hadn't been in so much danger. More of the trappers were on to them now. It was only a matter of time before Drago learned of their escape, and once Drago discovered they were missing, Astrid knew he would stop at nothing to get them back.

"The shackles are still there, and all in one piece!" Ugh went on, his voice frantic as he spoke so quickly Astrid had a hard time figuring out what he was saying. "It's like they just...vanished into thin air!"

" _WHO_ VANISHED INTO THIN AIR!?"

Hiccup slammed his hand over Astrid's mouth to keep her from gasping, and it was good thing he did, too, because she was sure that if she didn't, she would have unintentionally given away their hiding place.

The voice belonged to none other than Drago Bludvist, and by the sounds of it, he was _not happy_. The voice was followed by flapping wings, but not just any wings. Astrid recognized the sound the wings made as they swished through the air: graceful yet powerful.

Toothless.

There was a _THUMP_ , and Astrid knew it came from Toothless landing and Drago dismounting. Astrid didn't want to imagine how furious Drago would be when he realized she and Hiccup escaped their shackles...

"Uh - uh - S-Sir!" Urk gasped. Astrid heard shuffling against the decks, and she imagined the three trappers racing to get into attention. She heard the shifting of armor; Drago's armor, and he was coming towards them…

"Where are the prisoners?" Drago's voice was dark and deep, as it always was. Astrid yanked Hiccup's hand away from her face and peered through one of the cracks between two crates, trying to see what was going on. Unfortunately, the most she saw was the mast of the ship, and nothing else.

Drago must have overheard more of the conversation than he let on, because by the tone of his voice, he sounded confident in his assumptions.

"Uh…" One of the trappers laughed nervously. "Funny you should mention that, Sir. The prisoners are...are…"

"They escaped," Grime announced. Astrid was able to see, just barely, Grime grab Urk and Ugh and throw them to the ground at Drago's feet. "Because these two weren't keeping a good enough eye on them!"

Urk and Ugh didn't even have time to plead for their lives before Drago grabbed them by their throats and threw them off the side of the ship. Astrid heard their screams as they fell through the air, the splash as they hit the ocean, and then, disturbingly enough, nothing at all.

"The prisoners escaped," Drago repeated. There were more footsteps, and Astrid ducked again, away from the crack she had been using as a peephole. Hiccup and her alike held their breath for what felt like the hundredth time that day, trying to be as silent as was humanly possible.

She pressed her back against the crates and shut her eyes tightly, trying not to imagine how close Drago was to their hiding spot. She put her hand over the dagger at her thigh and looked back at Hiccup. Hiccup shook his head in a clear, _No, don't attack them, we're outnumbered and you know it,_ and she lowered her hand again. He was right. If Astrid attacked now, there would be no chance for them to escape. If they waited, they had a chance at never being discovered until it was too late for their enemies to do anything about it.

"Well." Drago's voice was chilling, but the most terrifying part about it was how _close_ he sounded…

"Did you ever think of looking…"

 _Please no, please don't find us, please don't find us, please no, please don't, please, please, please-_

A large, meaty hand grabbed Astrid's arm and yanked her out from behind the crates before she could protest. She shouted in shock, surprise and anger, instantly reaching for the dagger on instinct, but she didn't have time to even come close to touching it before another hand grabbed her other arm and held them both behind her back.

"...Here," Drago's satisfied voice continued, and finished. Astrid jerked and thrashed against Drago's grip, but there was no escaping him. Toothless was sitting obediently nearly ten feet behind Drago, his eyes narrowed into slits and deadpan.

The dragon didn't move, didn't react to Astrid's shouting or thrashing, as if he no longer had a conscience. She only hoped that Hiccup stayed in hiding-

"ASTRID!"

Well, _that_ was wishful thinking. _Of course_ Hiccup wouldn't stay hidden. He ran out from behind the crates, freezing when he saw Astrid's arms held behind her back and Drago standing behind her.

Drago chuckled darkly. "Dragon Master," he snarled. "Clever. But...unfortunately...not clever enough." Astrid felt something cool and metallic press against her neck, and it didn't take a genius before she realized it was a knife. "Now," Drago said, "if you're smart, you'll-"

Hiccup threw his hands in the air instantly. "Okay, I give up!" he shouted. "Just let her go!"

"Hiccup, don't!" Astrid yelled back; if he ran now, he could probably find some way out without her. He always had brilliant ideas. He could save himself, but he couldn't if he was too worried about saving her.

The dagger was pressed harder against her neck, and she was forced to shut up before her skin was sliced open.

She should have known Hiccup wasn't going to give up, because the next thing he did was hold his hands behind his back submissively. She would have yelled at him if the knife hadn't been so close to her throat.

Grime ran forward with ropes held tightly in his grip, and he instantly took to wrapping Hiccup's hands behind his back. Astrid saw Hiccup wince visibly; the ropes must have been tied awfully tight if they were causing him pain. She felt her blood boil in rage. Drago would _pay_ for this. He would _pay_.

When Grime finished with Hiccup, he took what was left of the rope and ran back to Astrid and Drago. Drago dragged Astrid to the mast of the ship, and between him and Grime, they pinned her to the mast and wrapped the rope time after time around her, tying her effortlessly to the mast.

"HEY!" Astrid screamed angrily. "Let me go! I demand you release us, NOW!"

Hiccup looked at her pleadingly, but she could see the message in his eyes. He nodded, lowering his gaze. _You still have the dagger. Wait for the right moment and use it._

She knew what he meant. She stopped struggling, thinking the plan over in her head. She could reach the dagger, probably, if she tried hard enough. She could reach it, cut herself free, and then cut Hiccup free.

She just needed to wait for the right moment to act.

Drago then turned back to Hiccup. "And _you!"_ he shouted. The coolness of his voice was gone, replaced with nothing but fury. He grabbed Hiccup by the throat and threw him across the deck. Hiccup landed on his arm and rolled over on his other side with a small yelp of pain. He landed directly in front of Toothless, and the dragon didn't move an inch or look down at him.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted. She wished with everything in her that she could break away, but she knew it would do no good. She tried reaching for the dagger, but it would take a few minutes before she could actually grab it.

Too long. She wouldn't be able to help Hiccup until it was too late.

"Toothless," Hiccup pleaded, but the Night Fury still remained unmoved. Drago stomped across the deck again, towards his captive.

"I should kill you now!" Drago yelled. He seized Hiccup by the throat again, only this time, he didn't let go. Hiccup squirmed desperately, but with his hands behind his back, bound to the point of pain, there was nothing he could do. Nothing at all. Helpless, with the madman choking him.

Then, all at once, a horn sounded from one of the ships in front of the one Hiccup and Astrid were on, and the horn was followed by shouts of, "Berk in sight! We're approaching Berk!"

Astrid looked, and sure enough, the trapper shouting was right. She saw the outline of the island, silhouetted in front of the risen sun. Daybreak was upon them.

Drago released Hiccup, and Hiccup collapsed to the deck again, coughing and hacking, gasping desperately for breath. Astrid stared at him helplessly, wishing she were strong enough to simply break through her bonds without needing the dagger.

Drago smiled. "Berk," he breathed. He grabbed Hiccup's arm and forced him into a stand again. "Now," Drago said, keeping his grip on Hiccup's arm hard and painful, "now it's time for the moment we've all been waiting for."

"Oh, really?" Hiccup spat, his voice cracked. "And what might that be?"

Drago smiled. "Your execution."


	23. Chapter 23

**Lightclaw's Shadow: We will see!**

 **ParagonNight666: I CAN'T HOLD YOU BACK, AND DO YOU KNOW WHY!? BECAUSE I'M GOING TOO! DIE DRAGO! DIE! DIE! DIE! COME ON, PARAGON! GRAB SMAUG, AND LET'S DESTROY DRAGO AND THE EVIL ALPHA!**

 **LunarCatNinja: Haha! I hope the suspense doesn't kill you too much. And I just have to say, that as far as suspense goes, it gets worse...**

 **clank2662: "Yep but I'm cooler." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D**

 **Angela Magic: Heh heh...sorry about that. :)**

 **Literally No One: Just about sums this story up, huh? :D**

 **nightfury153: YES! Hiccstrid! I NEED MORE HICCSTRID!**

 **TheFutureChieftessOfBerk: Aww, sorry I made you cry. :( And yes, so close and yet so far! So, so close to escaping, and yet...no.**

 **Drew Luczynski: Die, Drago!**

 **neobendium: Bow and arrows are awesome! Come, my brother/sister in flames! (Snotlout quote, lol). Let us take arms to battle this madman, and save Berk! FIGHT!**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: Drago WILL regret this! He will! Go Heather! Go Hiccup! Go Astrid! You guys are awesome! Take that madman down! Do it like your life depends on it! BECAUSE IT DOES!**

 **xFaerieValkyriex: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

 **nightfury123: Urk and Ugh. I didn't have a better idea. :D Nah, it's not gruesome, really. A little creepy, yes, but not gruesome. XD I mean, LOOK AT ALL THE PAIN I PUT HICCUP AND ASTRID THROGH ON A REGULAR BASIS! I KILLED HICCUP LIKE, FOUR TiMES IN PREVIOUS FANFICTIONS. You are not gruesome. I am. XD And you're welcome! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: We're fresh out of super glue for mending broken hearts! AAAHHHH! MUST BUY MORE SUPER GLUE!**

 **GuardianDragon98: Hiccstrid will survive. And if it does not, we will go down with the ship!**

 **IonitaMircea32: Redbeard! That part was so sad and sweet at the same time! Poor Redbeard! But yeah, I can see how Toothless and Sherlock would get along well! I just got this image of Toothless wearing the "ear-hat". :D Seriously though, Toothless would look so cute in one! :D AND YES, John would so TOTALLY break Drago's arm! Like, he would twist Drago's arm, Drago would scream, John would walk away, Hiccup would be like, "You just sprained it, right?" and John would be, "No." XD**

 **Toothless801: As far as I know, the next 13 episodes are coming out in December, so it won't be too long before we'll watch Hiccup and Toothless best Dagur in everything, and hopefully see more Hiccstrid moments! :D I love Hiccstrid so much, and I don't even know why! At first, I hated Astrid so much, but now I'm just like "Awww you two are sweet together...NOW KISS." XD And that just about sums up all of my ships. "NOW KISS." XD As I like to say, "THE FEEELSIES ARE RREEEAALSSIIEESS! :D I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **KatPrincess01: YES! KILL DRAGO! SOMEONE KILL DRAGO!**

 **Iris Patton: You're welcome! :D**

 **HappyPup1: EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY REVIEWERS WISH DEATH TO DRAGO! And that's okay, BECAUSE I WISH DEATH TO DRAGO, TOO! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!**

 **LissanFuryEye: Wake up, Toothless! Hiccup needs you! Wake up! *sobs***

* * *

"DRAGO'S SHIPS ARE SPOTTED IN THE WEST!"

Heather lifted her head as a soldier ran towards her, waving a spyglass over his head. Heather, despite the situation, smiled faintly. Now, it was time to get her revenge. It was time for her to finally defeat the man who killed her father and took her brother, her friend, and her dragon away from her.

She would _kill Drago_. She would make sure he payed, no matter how she did it. Maybe she would kill him right away, or maybe she would make it a slow, agonizingly painful death. Either way worked for her, although the second option was slightly more inviting in her mind.

She took the spyglass from the soldier and turned her eye to the West. Sure enough, there they were. Drago's fleet of around fifty ships, coming straight towards them. She lowered the spyglass from her eye, handed it back to the soldier, and smiled. Fifty ships against two entire islands? That was nothing.

But then, all the remaining dragons the Berkians still had suddenly took air and flew towards the fleet of ships. All but the babies, of course, but they were a small, insignificant number. Heather felt her posture droop. _Of course_. How could she have forgotten about the dragons? Drago still had all the dragons of the Berserkers, and the Berkians, and Valka's nest on his side.

Heather only hoped that all the dragons didn't go to war.

"Go!" Heather yelled at the soldier. "Gather the men from the North, South, and East! Tell them to go to the West, NOW!"

The soldier didn't have to be told twice. He nodded with a, "Yes ma'am, Lady Heather!" and then raced away to do as she had told them. Heather then turned back to the West, an evil smirk on her face.

"It's time you pay up," Heather growled as if Drago could hear her. "But by the time you regret your mistake, it will be too late. Mark my words, Drago Bludvist. However this ends, it ends now."

…

Astrid wasn't surprised when she saw the large line of soldiers lined up on the shores as Drago's ships neared their destination. She also wasn't surprised when she saw Heather, Snotlout, Eret, Fishlegs, the twins, and Valka, Hiccup's mother, at the very front of the battleline.

Hiccup stood beside Drago, and Drago held tightly to the rightful Chief of Berk's arm, his sword held in his other hand. Just before reaching the shores of Berk, the ships rolled to a stop.

Astrid looked at Heather. The Chief of Berserk's face was washed with hatred, but then at the same time, terror when she caught sight of Hiccup's present position. She looked ready to jump on the ship and hack Drago's head clean off.

Drago lifted his sword, and the armies of Berk and Berserk remained still. Astrid glanced around at the trappers still on the deck of the ship: they were focused on Drago, Hiccup, and the occupants of the island.

No longer focused on her.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she wriggled her hand down, ignored the rope burns it caused when her arm scraped against her skin, and began reaching for the dagger strapped at her thigh.

…

Heather stared at Drago with unmatched fury. Here the madman finally was, and he had her brother standing beside him, hands obviously bound behind his back. Hiccup looked _beyond_ furious, just as Heather felt, but there was no denying the worry she felt when she looked at the sword Drago also held.

 _What's he planning to do?_

As if Heather didn't already have a pretty good idea. She knew what Drago was going to do, and she planned to prevent it, if possible.

She opened her mouth, ready to shout, when Drago's booming voice beat her to speaking.

"Berkians!" Drago shouted. He jerked Hiccup in his grip, and Hiccup hissed through his teeth in visible pain. Heather wanted to kill Drago right then, but she refrained from moving. Drago did have the sword, placed oh so close to her brother…

"This," Drago nodded at Hiccup, "is your rightful Chief! The son of Stoick the Vast, and, apparently, the greatest Dragon Master this world has ever seen!"

Heather studied Drago, Hiccup, and the ship. Toothless was standing across from Drago, his eyes dead. Astrid was tied to the mast of the ship, unable to move, apparently, because she wasn't doing much moving. Heather looked up at the sky, wondering if she could somehow spot Windshear amongst the enormous flock of dragons.

"Well!" Drago continued on. "As you can see, _I_ control the dragons! _I_ am the Dragon Master! Your rightful Chief is nothing compared to who I am, and so, before my army rips you limb from limb, I will show you the weakness of this so called Dragon Master!"

Drago raised his sword.

…

 _Come on, come on, come on!_ Astrid mentally screamed at herself, reaching her hand further and further towards the dagger she would use to cut away her bonds and hopefully save Hiccup with. She reached further. The ropes burned her arm, but she ignored it. She brushed her hand against the very tip of the hilt of the dagger, and as soon as she touched the hilt, she managed to get a grip on it.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she began pulling it towards her, out of its sheath, and into her waiting grip. Then, working as silently as possible, she turned the dagger over in her hands, and began slicing through the ropes that held her prisoner.

Meanwhile, Drago went on with his dramatic speech. "NOW!" he shouted. "Watch, and witness true strength! Strength, of the true Dragon Master!"

One of the ropes snapped, and Astrid continued sawing through the remaining ones, going as fast as was possible while also remaining as quiet as she could.

"If a mere sword can kill the one you pathetic people call your Dragon Master," Drago went on, "then what kind of Dragon Master is he? What kind of Dragon Master is this...this... _Hiccup?"_

Three more of the ropes snapped. Two more to go. Astrid sawed through them. _Please, please don't be too late. Please don't be too-_

"And now, I will kill him, in front of all his people!" Drago shouted.

The last rope snapped.

Drago raised his sword.

Astrid surged forward with a scream of fury.

Drago made the mistake of freezing. He froze in his movements, just before he brought the sword down over Hiccup's head. Astrid slammed into him, slashing with the dagger like a wildcat would do with its claws. She sliced through a patch of skin at Drago's arm, and Drago dropped his sword.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted.

Then, many things happened at once.

Heather shouted, "COME ON, MEN! FIGHT! FOR THE BERSERKERS! LET'S SHOW DRAGO WHAT WE'RE MADE OF!" while raising her axe over her head, and the Berserkers instantly ran, chasing her, following her into war.

They swam through the stretch of water between the ships and the shores, and began climbing right up the sides of Drago's ships with expertise, shrieking and laughing all the while as if they were...well... _berserk_. Heather fought like an enraged Monstrous Nightmare, slashing and stabbing anything in her path.

Soldiers ran to take on Drago, and while they did that, Astrid took the dagger, ignored the blood on it, and raced towards Hiccup.

"Nice move!" Hiccup complimented as she sliced the ropes away from his wrists. He rubbed his hands, wincing at the abrasions on them. Despite that, he smiled at Astrid. "Seriously, that was awesome."

Astrid nodded back. "Come on, Chief!" she said. "It's time for you to lead your people!" She jumped off the side of the ship, into the ocean, and Hiccup followed in pursuit.

It took a remarkably short amount of time for them to reach the shore, and once they did, Hiccup stepped onto it. The Berkians remained in a stiff line, looking at Hiccup expectantly.

Looking at their _Chief_ expectantly.

A single soldier stepped forward and handed Hiccup a sword, and Hiccup took it from him instantly. Astrid saw Valka, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins watching Hiccup, confidence in their eyes.

Hiccup raised his sword over his head. "Berkians!" he called for their attention. "To be frank, I have no idea what the heck I'm doing, or what we are getting into here!" As he spoke, he paced in front of the line of soldiers. "This war could be the biggest war we have ever fought!" Hiccup shouted. "This war will bring death, destruction, and who knows what else. This war could very well be the last war we will ever fight!"

The Berkians shifted into battle stance, one hand holding their weapon while their other hand held a shield. Another soldier threw an axe to Astrid, and the Hofferson caught it as if she had done it a thousand times. Despite all Hiccup was saying, the Berkians didn't look fearful. They looked ready. Ready to fight for what they knew was right. Ready to die in battle to protect the ones they cared about.

"BUT," Hiccup went on, "IF WE GO DOWN-" He pointed his sword at the ships, "DRAGO AND HIS ARMY GO WITH US!" Hiccup yelled.

The Berkians shouted what sounded like a "YEAH!", although the word wasn't very easy to define. It sounded more like the screams of angry men, and that was exactly what the Berkians war.

"BERKIANS!" Hiccup shouted again. He raised his sword over his head, the blade gleaming against the bright sun light of the morning. Astrid couldn't believe the amount of confidence Hiccup had, but she wasn't complaining at all. She was glad for his leadership, and she knew the Berkians were too.

"DEATH OR GLORY!" Hiccup yelled at the very top of his lungs, his weapon still raised high over his head.

"DEATH OR GLORY!" the Berkians echoed in one loud, screeching, booming voice. Astrid found herself raising her axe over her head and shouting the very same battlecry.

Like she'd said before, Hiccup was _very_ persuasive.

"CHARGE!"

All he had to do was say that last word, and the next thing she knew, they were running. Hiccup led the attack while Astrid ran alongside him, the army of Berk running behind him in no particular order. Some soldiers passed other soldiers, but all of them remained behind Hiccup, following their new leader; their new Chief.

And they were happy to do it.

Astrid knew she would follow Hiccup everywhere, and she was pretty sure the Berkians were the same way.

"DEATH OR GLORY!" the Berkians shouted again, and this time, Hiccup echoed the cry. "DEATH OR GLORY!"

The Berserkers were going berserk on Drago's army as it was, but they needed help if they were going to win without any deaths resulting. The Berkians ran straight into the ocean, their feet going from pounding to splashing, never slowing down even slightly.

A plank was lowered on the ships, and Drago's men ran down it, towards the advancing Berkians. Despite this new threat, Hiccup and his men didn't back down. If anything, they ran faster, towards the enemies, ready to end this war at whatever cost.

The two armies collided, and the battle spread like a virus.


	24. Chapter 24

**GUYS...GUYS...**

 **GUYS GUYS GUYS...**

 **WE BROKE 400 REVIEWS, GUYS! I DON'T THINK YOU GUYS REALIZE HOW BIG OF A THING THIS IS FOR ME. I HAVE NEVER GOTTEN MORE THAN 400 REVIEWS IN A SINGLE STORY! AND WE'RE ONLY ON CHAPTER 24! THIS STORY WILL PROBABLY BREAK 30 CHAPTERS! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU GUYS YOU ARE ALL SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING SO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! :D :D :D**

 **AS A TOKEN OF MY THANKS, SHOUT-OUTS:**

 **Literally No One: Ooooh, Amy's theme...I just listened to that the other day. A beautiful theme. So emotional. DEATH OR GLORY!**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Yeah, I like that phrase. :) It's a phrase from the original HTTYD books, so yeah, I like using it. :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yes I am evil. But at least I let them get free!**

 **One-Crazed-Up-Dragon: DEATH OR GLORY! :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: THANK YOU! :D**

 **mrsgunsage: Yeah, haha, sorry about the cliffhanger. I like cliffhangers, because they keep the readers interested.**

 **xFaerieValkyriex: Yeah, I agree. The first few chapters were pretty boring, since they didn't deviate from the movie's plot, but yeah, I mixed things up a bit. ;) I LOVE THAT PICTURE! IT'S BEAUTIFUL! :D**

 **Drew Luczynski: KILL DRAGO!**

 **clank2662: Ooooooooh boy. I can't believe you did that. XD**

 **neobendium: *high fives the characters* *high fives you* DEATH OR GLORY!**

 **AnimeAngel: Night Fury for Day...AWESOME. :D Day and Hiccup would take their Night Furies and destroy Imperial ships while June and Astrid take their Changewing and Deadly Nadder and march through ships in stealthiness. Awesomeness. :D**

 **Nuadize: Aut viam inveniam aut faciam. :D :D :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: GO EVERYONE AS LONG AS THEY ARE AGAINST DRAGO! :D :D :D**

 **Letstellstorys014: GO GO GO, BERKIANS! GO KILL THAT ^# &%#^$&!*(& (*&^^%^#% ^&%!* (&^#^^^$!%^ $!#&*( &#*(&! Random person: Wow. I didn't know she had such a colorful vocabulary. XD**

 **DarkForest11: THEY SERIOUSLY SHOULD! BOAR PIT! BOAR PIT! :D**

 **HappyPup1: DEATH OR GLORY! :D Thanks! I'm glad someone noticed that that line was taken from the books. :D**

 **IonitaMircea32: Ah yes! I love The Empty Hearse. I have to say that it's my favorite episode, too, really for the same reasons you liked it so much, too! Plus, I loved Lestrade's reaction to figuring out that Sherlock wasn't dead. I loved that scene. And John's reaction scene...well, I loved that one even more. :D**

 **ParagonNight666: Hello, Smaug! *wakes cheerfully* No death. Just glory for me. Death is not good. Glory is good. :D And aww, you're sweet, you know that? :D I'm glad you and your cousins are enjoying this fic! It makes me happy. Tell your cousins I said "Thank you", and thank you, ParagonNight666, for the amazing reviews! :D**

 **EVA: AWWW, thank you! :D *hugs back because of amazing review***

 **Ultimateblack: Sorta kinda. I loved that scene in Hunger Games, but I wasn't actually thinking about Hunger Games while I was writing that scene. Whoops. XD**

 **Palimon: Drago doesn't bargain, he just kills and destroys. I thought about using Astrid and Hiccup as bargaining chips, but then I thought, "Oh, I don't think Drago would actually do that..." I'm glad you're enjoying the story! :D I'm having a lot of fun writing it, so that's good, too. :D Thank you for reviewing! :D :D :D**

 **Omegaman17: *swings axe* *dodges soldier* *runs alongside you* THIS IS WHERE THE PARTY'S AT! *nearly gets decapitated* NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE! *runs away* Nope nope nope! Come, Omegaman17! We must flee! XD DEATH OR GLORY! :D Thanks for reviewing, Omegaman17! :D NOW LET'S FIGHT! *turns around again* DEATH OR GLORY!**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: I agree! Hiccup really IS a natural leader! I mean, look at the fight against the Red Death! He'd never led anyone anywhere before that, and yet he led his friends to victory against that monstrous dragon! Hiccup underestimates himself. He's amazing and he just doesn't see it. Oh well. XD And you're welcome for the shout-out! It's just my way of saying "Thank you for being awesome and reviewing and making my day!" :D So, yeah! Thanks for being awesome and reviewing and making my day! :D :D**

 **thearizona: DEATH OR GLORY! :D :D :D I'm glad you liked the chapter! And yeah, I'm feeling really hyped up about writing this battle! It really DID just start getting interesting. :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **blackbluebudgie: THANK YOU! :D**

* * *

The Berserkers were doing a great job as it was with Heather leading them and guiding them and directing them in their battle strategy.

When Hiccup brought the Berkians into the battle, it went even better. Heather knew, even after a split second, that the opposite side honestly didn't stand a chance. No chance. No chance _at all_.

Especially when Valka ran back and freed the baby dragons. Before the battle began, Heather had all the Berkians and Berserkers smother their weapons in eel-infested water, so that the baby dragons wouldn't go near them. Drago's army, however, was not doing as good. The baby dragons ran for the weapons, swiping them out of soldier's grips and leaving them for the others to finish off.

The Berkians fought like madmen, slashing and stabbing with perfection as if it was something they did for fun, although there was a seriousness in their eyes that Heather didn't fail to notice. They were serious about beating Drago.

Well, so was Heather. They all were, their minds set on killing the madman and his followers.

She slashed at a trapper, didn't look at the damage she caused, spun around, and repeated the process. This she did over and over and over again, fighting off anyone that threatened to harm her or another one of her soldiers.

Then, suddenly, she heard a shout, and she turned around to watch as Hiccup and Astrid ran up the plank leading to the ship, fending off soldiers as they went.

"Heather!" Hiccup called. He parried with a trapper, ducked beneath a sword, and continued running. Astrid bashed the flat of her axe against the trapper's head, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious with probably a severe concussion to worry about when he woke up.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Heather called back to her brother. She knocked a soldier upside the head with her axe, and he was unconscious instantly, out like a candle, not even knowing what hit him. "Nice to see you still in one piece!"

"I know, right?" Astrid fended off another trapper and smashed her axe against another trapper's head. "I thought he'd be dead by now!"

"Oh, are you kidding me?" Hiccup ducked beneath a trapper, ran behind Heather, and parried with one in Heather's place, his sword scraping against the trapper's axe. While Hiccup distracted him, Astrid ran behind the soldier and knocked him unconscious. "I'm _waaaaaay_ to tough for them!"

"Sure you are!" Heather shouted back, sarcasm dripping from her words. All in all, she was happy to see her brother alive, and he really didn't look injured aside from the gash on his head, but the gash didn't even look bad anymore.

There _were_ finger-shaped bruises around his neck, and she would have to ask him what happened later, and who she should kill because of how it happened. She assumed it was Drago, so it was even better, because she planned on killing Drago anyway.

Speaking of which, where _was_ Drago?

Heather turned around, just in time to watch as Drago jumped on Toothless' back, and forced the Night Fury into the sky. Furious, Heather wanted to chase after him and give him what for, but Drago was too far into the sky for her to be of any help.

"Hiccup!" Heather shouted instead, looking up at the sky. "Drago has Toothless again!" She didn't know what she expected her brother to do about it, but he always had brilliant plans. He would think of something.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, I see him!" he called back. "What do we do about it?"

As if answering his question, Thief came barreling forward, her mouth stuffed with axes she was holding happily. Heather couldn't help but smile. "I think I have a way to get you in the air!" she said. "It's gonna sound crazy, so bare with me!"

…

For the record, Hiccup thanked his sister, even though the idea of riding a baby dragon was insane. Hiccup was determined, though, to save his best friend from Drago's clutches. He didn't care how he did it as long as he did it.

The baby dragon took him into the sky, flying straight after Toothless and Drago, who were climbing higher into the air with every passing moment. Then, Toothless dove downwards, towards the face of the water, and the baby dragon dove after him.

Hiccup wasn't going to lose his friend. Not to Drago. He already lost his father to the madman, and he also almost lost his sister to the madman as well. He wasn't about to lose Toothless.

And so they went. Toothless stopped flying, hovering over the water. Hiccup saw the ocean bubble beneath them, and then, the Alpha's head rose out of the water, positioned directly underneath Toothless.

Hiccup sucked in a deep breath, relieved that the Alpha couldn't control the baby dragons. If he could, they would be in big trouble.

Hiccup steered the dragon he was mounted on directly towards Toothless. He didn't stop until he and Drago were only five feet apart, the Alpha positioned beneath them.

Drago smiled darkly. There was a new gash on his one good arm, given to him by Astrid. Hiccup knew it would only add to the numerous scars the madman already had, so it wasn't a big deal to Hiccup.

"You certainly are hard to get rid of," Drago said. "I'll say that. At the same time, you are hard to contain as well."

Hiccup wasn't in the mood to listen to him. His focus was only on Toothless. Toothless' eyes were still narrowed into slits, and it made Hiccup furious and terrified both at once.

"Toothless?" he called out softly, trying to keep his voice from breaking. "Hey, it's me, bud." Toothless didn't react. He didn't move. His eyes remained expressionless, almost lifeless, without conscience. "It's me," Hiccup said again. "It's me, I'm right here, bud." No reaction from the dragon. "Come back to me," Hiccup whispered pleadingly.

He heard shouts from below them. Soldiers were still attacking the Berkians and the Berserkers, but honestly, Drago's soldiers were outnumbered by more than ten to one. As long as Hiccup found some way to get the dragons to stop listening to the Alpha before Drago decided to use the dragons to start killing the Berkians and Berserkers with.

"Ha ha," Drago laughed again. "He's not yours anymore. He belongs to the Alpha. But _please_ , oh great Dragon Master." There it was again; the title that was becoming more and more of an insult when Drago spoke it. "Try to take him," Drago taunted. "He will not miss a second time."

Hiccup thought of his father. His father that _died_ to save him. Hiccup grit his teeth behind his lips. He wasn't going to let Drago keep Toothless. He was going to save Toothless. Maybe...maybe he could _talk the dragon out of it_ , somehow…

"It wasn't your fault, bud," Hiccup said shakily, holding his hand out pleadingly towards the dragon. He had spoken to the Berkians with confidence while on the line of battle, and yet here he was, unable to keep a straight voice while speaking to his own dragon. "They _made_ you do it," Hiccup whispered. "You'd never hurt him." Hiccup paused. "You'd never hurt _me!"_

Hiccup finally got close enough to touch Toothless' muzzle, and as soon as he did, he flattened his palm against the Night Fury's snout. Toothless' eyes dilated for a split second before going straight back to looking dead again, narrowed into slits once more.

It was obviously enough to grasp Drago's attention, because the man gasped. "How are you doing that?" he asked in disbelief as if it were a question he was asking himself.

Hiccup didn't answer Drago. He didn't _care_ about answering Drago. "Please," he whispered, his attention still focused on Toothless. "You are my best friend, bud."

Toothless almost broke free right there, but the Alpha concentrated harder, and Toothless' eyes narrowed once again. Hiccup pressed his hand harder against the dragon's muzzle, staring deeply into Toothless' eyes.

"My best friend," Hiccup repeated with more force.

Toothless still didn't break out entirely, and that was when Hiccup leaned forward, resting his forehead against his dragon's. He knew that any moment, the dragon could kill him, but he didn't care. If he couldn't free Toothless, he didn't care if he died. He would rather die than live without his best friend.

"I won't leave you," Hiccup whispered, his hands pressing against the sides of Toothless' head. The dragon jerked beneath him, and Hiccup knew it was because he was fighting off the Alpha's control.

More than that, Toothless was _winning_ …

"I won't let go!" Hiccup promised, shutting his eyes for a split second. He felt tears burn behind his lids. Any second could be his last, if the Alpha regained full control of the dragon, and if Drago decided he wanted Toothless to kill Hiccup.

But then, to Hiccup's relief, he felt Toothless' tongue against his face, and the boy pulled away. Toothless' teeth were sheathed for the first time in what felt like forever, his eyes big and full of emotion, as they were before the Alpha took control of him.

"Attaboy, that's it!" Hiccup cheered. He couldn't believe that actually worked. He really, honestly, couldn't believe that actually worked. But it didn't matter if he couldn't believe it, because now, he had his friend back, and that was the important thing. "I'm here!" Hiccup promised.

Toothless looked so _joyful_. So blatantly happy. As if he had been locked in a dungeon and was finally being let out.

"No!" Drago shouted. Before Hiccup or Toothless could react, Drago hit Toothless with his bullhook. As soon as he did that, Hiccup wanted to lunge and attack Drago right there, but Toothless beat him to it. He grabbed Drago's bullhook in his teeth and yanked Drago clear off his back. The madman fell through the air, towards the Alpha below him.

Hiccup didn't really care about that either.

"Yeahah!" he cheered, pumping his fist into the air, practically standing up atop the baby Scuttleclaw he was mounted on.

Toothless smiled back at him - just before falling through the air once again, down towards the ocean below.

"Hang on!" Hiccup shouted. He leapt off the baby dragon and fell after his dragon.

He had to reach Toothless before Toothless reached the ocean. He wasn't going to have it any other way. He had to save his best friend. He _had_ to. He would never let his best friend down, ever, even if it was the death of him.

"Almost there, buddy, almost there!" Hiccup shouted. He reached down, farther, farther, farther…

And then, he had it. He grabbed the horn of Toothless' saddle and pulled himself onto his dragon's back. Acting quickly, he put himself in the saddle, put his prosthetic leg into place in the petal, and they shot back into the sky. Toothless skimmed the ocean, water flying in all directions.

That was way too close.

Way too close.

"Do something!" Drago shouted at his Alpha from where he was standing on the Bewilderbeast's snout.

Hiccup glanced back at the Alpha and its master. "We need to get those two apart," Hiccup whispered to Toothless, although he was also speaking to himself at the same time.

Hiccup flew back over the ships, right over the one Heather was on. "Heather!" he shouted down to his sister. Heather looked up from him instantly, smacking one of Drago's soldiers absently as she did so. "The dragons can fight it!" Hiccup explained hastily. "They _can_ fight the Alpha!"

He soared downwards, reaching his hand towards her, and pulled her onto Toothless' back. "Astrid, do you need any help?" Hiccup shouted down to the Hofferson.

"I'll be alright!" Astrid shouted back. Just as she yelled, Snotlout ran up behind her, his sword at the ready.

"We got it under control!" Snotlout promised.

"You two go!" Astrid demanded. "Get Windshear!"

Hiccup nodded instantly. He trusted Astrid, and he trusted Snotlout to protect Astrid no matter what happened. "Come on," he said to Heather. "Let's go see if we can't get Windshear back."

Heather nodded, and Toothless sped onwards. As they flew, Hiccup ripped a piece of red fabric from a torn Dragon Racing flag and held it out in front of Toothless' face for the dragon to see.

"We need to block them out, Toothless," Hiccup said simply. He tore off another piece and handed the fabric to Heather. "It won't be as easy for the Alpha to control them if the Alpha can't see into their eyes," Hiccup explained.

Heather's features brightened. "So it's almost like a Changewing can hypnotize you if you stare into its eyes for too long?" she guessed.

Hiccup nodded. "Exactly," he said. Then, he returned his attention to Toothless. "Do you trust me, bud?" he asked. Toothless growled uneasily in response, and carefully, Hiccup lowered the red fabric over Toothless' eyes, and tied it behind his head to make a makeshift blindfold.

"We can do this," Hiccup whispered. "You, and me, Toothless, as one." Toothless cooed. "That's it," Hiccup said. "Now, let's try this one more time!"

* * *

 **OKAY, LISTEN UP.**

 **I know this is kinda starting to sound like the movie plot again, BUT I will say that there is ANOTHER BIG change to come in just a few chapters (like maybe two or possibly three).**

 **Because y'know, I had this really evil idea and the perfect plan for more cliffhangers, and it'll lengthen this fic and reach that 30 chapter breaker we were talking about previously.**

 **So yeah. BIG CHANGE COMING UP. You can guess what it is all you want, but I will not say. I will say that it happens around the "Toothless becomes new Alpha" scene. Just...you know...a little bit of a heads up.**

 **It should be pretty sad.**

 **That's all I'm gonna say.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey, wonderful people! :D Thanks for the reviews last chapter! And yes, this is the second chapter update today, so yeah, you guys get TWO CHAPTERS AGAIN! :D I probably won't be able to update so much tomorrow. I'll try to get at least one chapter out, but yeah. If I can't, I apologize in advance. I'm gonna be busy tomorrow. :)**

 **So, without further adieu, shout-outs:**

 **HappyPup1: I'm glad! :D DEATH OR GLORY!**

 **thearizona: Yeah, big change. *slowly pushes axe away from neck* Don't kill me, or you will never know what happens. Seriously though, put the axe away. XD**

 **silverwolvesarecool: YYYYYYYYEEESSSSSSSSS!**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: I'm glad, because there's another big twist coming! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: That _would_ be cool! You'll just have to see what happens! :D**

 **Ultimateblack: That would have made it a lot more dramatic! I'll think about taking that advice next time! :D Yeah, but hey, there's nothing wrong with a Drama King (or in my case, Drama Queen). It'll get more dramatic next chapter, don't worry. :D**

 **clank2662: Borrow my mind? Sounds dangerous. XD**

 **IonitaMircea32: PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! *cowers* *grabs crossbow* I WILL USE THIS! Heh heh...if I knew how to...*tosses crossbow aside* I LOVE Sherlolly! :D She does remind me of Astrid in a few ways. She's a lot different than Astrid in a lot of things, but she's also a lot like Astrid in a few ways. :) I think Astrid and Molly would probably get along really well, should they meet. :D**

 **SingStar234: NEXT CHAPTER! That's when the change swoops in! Hang in there!**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Thanks! I'm glad you're excited! :D**

 **Letstellstorys014: We shall see! :D**

 **Omegaman17: *bashes axe against soldier's head* LOOK AT US! WE'RE AWESOME! *dodges soldier* *swipes axe* *disarms another soldier* PARTY! WHOOOOO! *grabs your arm* *swings you around* WE ARE AMAZING! *flings you and myself at other soldiers* *soldiers fall down like dominoes* DRAGO DOESN'T STAND A CHANCE! :D**

 **LissanFuryEye: GO DRAGON MASTERS! :D**

 **dragonridr55: DO NOT HURT ME! YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS IF YOU DO!**

 **neobendium: LET'S DO THIS! AWESOMENESS! *flies into battle***

 **Dria Haddock II: Kill Hiccup? *discreetly hides chainsaw behind back* Why would I kill Hiccup?**

 **Drew Luczynski: YES! GO TOOTHLESS! *grabs gummybear shooter***

 **GuardianDragon98: Brace yourself anyway! :)**

 **Literally No One: Everyone has their assumptions, but I really can't reveal anything until the chapter comes into play. :)**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: OH the drama. OH the sorrows I put these characters through! Especially Hiccup and Astrid! How could I be so cruel!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? I don't blame you for yelling, hahahahahahahahahaha. A lot of people are pleading "WHY IS IT SO SAD!?" or "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE SCENES SAD!?" so it's totally cool. :D Thanks for reviewing! I love reading all the reviews I get! :D**

 **KatPrincess01: GO, GO, GO! :D**

 **Blade: Thanks! I'm glad you think my stories are awesome! It means a lot to me. :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Unsurprisingly, it took Heather a remarkably short amount of time for her to spot Windshear, and as soon as she did, she shouted and pointed wildly. "There!" she ordered. She knew the flash of silver anywhere; her Razorwhip. Oh Thor, Heather hoped Windshear was alright. Toothless seemed okay even after being in the control of the Alpha, but at the same time, Heather didn't know if different dragons had different reactions to the mind control.

She hoped not.

Hiccup nodded and turned Toothless towards Windshear. It was unsettling, and each of Toothless' movements were jerky and stuttered, but Toothless obviously trusted Hiccup enough to let the boy take full-control of him, so that was something Heather was thankful for.

They stopped right in front of Windshear, and instantly, Heather put her hands on Windshear's face. The dragon didn't react to her touch, and part of Heather wanted to scream while the other part of her wanted to cry.

Drago did this to her best friend.

How _dare_ Drago do this?

"Hey, Windshear," Heather said. "Hey, girl. It's me. It's Heather. I'm here to get you out of here."

Nothing happened. Except, maybe, the fact that Windshear's eyes dilated for a split second before going back to slits. Heather couldn't help but smile, despite their situation.

Hiccup was right. The dragons really _could_ fight against the Alpha.

"Do you remember how we met, Windshear?" Heather asked, gently stroking Windshear's muzzle while Hiccup held Toothless steady. "You were wounded by that Typhoomerang...I found you...I suppose we were both in need of help at that point, weren't we?"

Heather smiled faintly at the memory.

"I needed a friend," Heather said, "and you needed one, too. I didn't really realize how much I needed you in my life until after I found you...and I suppose we were a lot alike in those ways, weren't we?"

Windshear's pupils grew wider, if even slightly.

"We still are alike in those ways," Heather went on forcefully. "We both need each other. You need me, and I need you. We're still friends, like we always were. I'm a fighter, and you're a fighter too, Windshear. You need to fight this. Fight this, girl, Fight this just like you held your own against the Typhoomerang. _Fight this_. You can't give up."

Then, just like magic, Windshear's pupils went wide, and she roared happily.

"There you go!" Heather cheered. "Good girl! Good girl!" Windshear rubbed against Heather's chest, and Heather hugged her dragon's head. "Oh, it's good to have you back, Windshear," Heather whispered.

Honestly, she hadn't counted on that working, but it had, and now, she had Windshear back. She looked at the fabric in her hands, and carefully held it out to Windshear.

"Listen, girl," she said, "we have to tune them out, and we can't do that unless you let me blindfold you, alright?"

Windshear tensed, but in the end, nodded. Smiling faintly, Heather wrapped the red fabric around Windshear's eyes, and then leapt atop her dragon's back.

"Now," she said, "let's just take this nice and slow."

"You got her?" Hiccup asked a moment later.

"Yeah!" Heather replied. "I got her!"

Nodding, Hiccup glanced back at the Bewilderbeast and Drago. "I'm going to try to get those two apart!" he shouted to get his voice across the wind and across the battle raging below them on Drago's ships. "You go back and help the others!"

Heather nodded, turned Windshear, and headed back towards the ships. Windshear swooped low, and Heather bashed enemies with her axe. For the most part, Windshear remained steady, her flight pattern smooth and flawless, and for that, Heather was grateful.

Another thing Heather was grateful for was the fact that some of Drago's ships were retreating. Where they were retreating to remained a mystery, but that was alright with Heather, just so long as Drago and his maniacs got out of their territory.

"They're running away!" Astrid's voice cheered, and Heather glanced down at the remaining ships - only half of the armada, nearly twenty five ships in total - and saw Astrid chasing some of Drago's soldiers off, followed by Eret, Snotlout, and even a few of the baby dragons.

"Good!" Heather shouted back. "Keep them running!" The more they ran the better it was. Heather didn't want to deal with Drago's _entire_ army, of course. Her main focus was killing Drago.

She thought about Eret, the ex-trapper. He was almost like a slave to Drago Bludvist, and the scars on his chest proved it. Heather wondered if there were any more trappers or soldiers like Eret, who followed Drago only because they were forced to.

It wasn't the soldiers' faults, and it wasn't really the trappers' faults, either.

It was all Drago, and Heather was sure to make that maniac pay for everything he did to her family, and to her island.

Astrid lifted her head, and as soon as she did, she ran towards the edge of the ship. "Take 'em down, babe!" she shouted, raising her axe over her head. Heather glanced over her shoulder as Hiccup soared over Berk, straight towards Drago and his Bewilderbeast.

"Go get him, Hiccup!" Heather cheered encouragingly. She knew her brother could do it, and if he couldn't, no one could.

"What are you doing!?" Drago shouted to his retreating men, but they didn't answer. The Berserkers and the Berkians alike leapt off the war ships and into the ocean, swimming back to the shore as fast as possible afterwards.

Heather smirked. She knew Drago and his army never stood a chance, anyways. It was for the best they were leaving.

Now to deal with Drago.

"Take control of it!" Drago commanded his Alpha once he gave up on his soldiers. Heather watched; Toothless jerked in the sky, roaring and moving his head to the left, away from the Alpha.

"Shut it out, Toothless!" Hiccup said. "Come on, you can do it, bud!"

They flew even closer to the Alpha. Dangerously close, actually. Close to the point where Heather could _see_ the Night Fury struggling against the Alpha's command. But she knew Toothless was a fighter. Toothless could fight it, and Hiccup would help him. They were two halves of one whole; two sides to the same coin. They needed each other, and they would always have the other's back.

Especially in times like these.

"Stop them!" Drago shouted again.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Hiccup shouted, "NOW!", and then, he did the strangest thing.

Not even Heather was one-hundred percent sure _how_ exactly he did it, but the point was he did it. He locked Toothless' prosthetic tail fin, and then, he leapt off Toothless' back, falling feet-first through the air and towards Drago's Bewilderbeast.

Drago didn't realize what had happened until it was too late. Toothless' blindfold fell off, and Drago's laugh cut off abruptly. Hiccup landed on his feet directly behind Drago and drew his sword.

Drago spun around to face Hiccup. Hiccup nodded. "Hey, Dargo Bloodyfist," he grumbled. "For the record...don't ever take my dragon."

He raised his sword, and Drago lifted his bullhook to meet it, and the Chief of the Berkians and Drago Bludvist were brought into war against each other, battling atop the great Bewilderbeast.

Heather gasped and instantly steered Windshear towards Drago and her brother. She was just about to tell Windshear to do a tail barb, but froze at the last second. Windshear couldn't see; she might accidently hit Hiccup with the barb, and then, Drago would surely kill Hiccup easily.

But she really couldn't just _leave_ Windshear alone either and leap off her back like Hiccup had done with Toothless. Windshear was just barely holding onto her own mind as it was. If Heather left, the dragon would once again succumb to the Alpha's mind controlling abilities.

Hiccup swung his sword at Drago, and Drago blocked his blow with his bullhook. Then, Drago went on the offense, and Hiccup instantly switched to defense, blocking every single one of Drago's blows that were aimed at Hiccup's head, ribs, and legs.

"You have no power here, Drago!" Hiccup shouted. He arched his sword over his head, and Drago parried with him once again. Hiccup continued on offense, slashing and jabbing, and Drago dodged and blocked every move with expertise.

"I have plenty power here, boy!" Drago shouted back. "I still have the Alpha!"

"But your army retreated!" Hiccup ducked, and Drago's bullhook swung in the air his head had once been residing. Heather was only glad Hiccup had missed that hit. It would have led to instant unconsciousness and a really bad concussion, no doubt. "Face defeat, Drago! You've lost!"

"I will not lose to a HICCUP!" Drago yelled.

Before Hiccup even had the chance to defend himself further, Drago surged forward, smacking his bullhook against Hiccup's prosthetic leg. He was lucky it was his prosthetic, because if it had been his good leg, the bone would have probably snapped, but still, either way, Hiccup stumbled.

He staggered slightly, and it gave Drago just enough time to seize Hiccup by the throat, his meaty fingers snaking around Hiccup's neck and holding tightly.

Heather's entire world froze for a split second. "HICCUP!" she shouted desperately. Windshear thrashed beneath her; the Razorwhip was losing the battle with her mind, and Heather's brother was also losing the battle with Drago. Heather felt frozen, helpless and useless, unable to help her brother.

Drago shoved against Hiccup's throat, his grip tightening. "Say hello to your Dad for me," Drago snarled in his face.

"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed from the shore below them.

Hiccup was forced to drop his sword against his will, and it fell against the Bewilderbeast's armored head and stayed there. Hiccup clawed at Drago's hands around his throat, but to no avail.

Then, Hiccup looked up at Heather, and the message in his eyes was clear: _Tail barb. Tail barb. Tail barb, NOW._

Heather didn't trust that Windshear would get an accurate shot, but at the same time, if she didn't try, Drago would kill Hiccup either way. She had to do this, for her island, her followers, her friends, her dragon, and her family.

She took in a deep breath. "Windshear!" she shouted. "Tail barb! Hit Drago!"

Windshear flicked her tail, and silver spines shot through the air like arrows.

It was a miracle, looking back at the incident. Three spines rocketed through the air, towards Hiccup and Drago.

Except, they never hit Hiccup. They sank straight into Drago's back; all three of them, the spines burying themselves into Drago's skin. Heather couldn't help but wince; it looked painful, but she didn't feel sorry for Drago.

Not at all.

Drago froze for a moment, his grip on Hiccup never loosening.

Then, all at once, he released Hiccup, and screamed in agony. Drago stumbled backwards, as if unable to remain on his own two feet.

Hiccup sank to his knees, coughing and gasping for a moment before he stumbled upright, grabbed his sword again, and raced straight at Drago.

With a wet, sickening _SHHHLIINNK_ , the sword sank straight into Drago's chest, piercing his heart in the process. Hiccup's eyes widened in horror, as if he'd realized what he'd done, but he never pulled away. Instead, he pushed harder, shoving his sword in all the way to the hilt.

"Don't you ever speak of my father," Hiccup snarled.

Then, he stepped back and released his grip on his sword. Drago's body crumpled, swayed, and rolled off the Bewilderbeast's head, into the ocean below. There was a loud _SPLASH_ , and then, nothing afterwards.

Drago's body didn't even resurface.

For a few moments, the silence was beyond stunning and absolutely terrifying.

Then, the silence was broken by Drago's Bewilderbeast wailing. It roared and shrieked and thrashed violently. Hiccup tumbled backwards and lost his footing, falling straight off the Bewilderbeast's massive head.

"HICCUP!" Heather and Astrid screamed at the same time, but they really didn't even have to say anything. Toothless already had it covered. He soared right underneath Hiccup, caught the boy on his back, and then flew towards the surface of Berk, landing on solid ground once again.

But their problems weren't close to being over yet.

The Bewilderbeast, enraged, breathed a large, frosty, spiked breath of ice across the ground, right where Hiccup and Toothless were standing. Toothless jumped in front of Hiccup and shielded him with his wings, but that was the last thing Heather was able to see before the ice spread over the Night Fury and her brother, the tips of the ice growing and growing until they were thick and long and terrifying to behold, the ends of them narrowed into jagged spikes.

All fell silent.

Heather couldn't think.

That didn't happen.

 _That didn't just happen_.

"No," she whispered.

* * *

 **Alright, so, the next big change takes place in the next chapter! :D TOOTHLESS BATTLES THE ALPHA. WHO SHALL PREVAIL!? TUNE IN NEXT TIME TO FIND OUT! :D :D :D**


	26. Chapter 26

**THIS IS WHERE THE NEXT BIG CHANGE HAPPENS, LOVELY PEOPLE! :D :D :D NEXT BIG CHANGE, OH THOR I AM SO EVIL. :D Shout-outs:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Yaaaaaaaaaay! Hiccup killed Drago! WHOOOO!**

 **LunarCatNinja: I don't honestly know what happened to Drago in the movie. I mean, it looked like he was killed, since we never saw him resurface, but that really doesn't mean anything. He'll probably be back for more in HTTYD3, who knows. I certainly don't. All I know is that as far as this fic goes, DRAGO IS DEAD. Enough said. :D**

 **ParagonNight666: It's okay, you don't have to review every chapter. I'm sorry you're going through all that. I'm glad my chapters help make you feel better, though. :)**

 **Guest: Well, you can't die yet, because there's a lot more left to the story that we simply have not seen yet. :) But you will see it...sooooooooooon. I promise. This chapter, actually. :)**

 **One-Crazed-Up-Dragon: I'm glad, 'cause here it is! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: EVERYONE ALWAYS *faints* DOES THAT. *Sparkglider revives me with water* My dragon is done with me. SO done with me. Seriously, done with me. I just read the Legend series recently (like two months or so), so yeah. I'm pretty sure there's some empire or something...or maybe I was thinking about Star Wars when I wrote the "empire." :/ Yep, Sparkglider's done. XD**

 **clank2662: Oh, alright! Always happy to help people out. What do you need help with? :)**

 **Omegaman17: *stares down at you* *looks back at ice* *looks back down at you* Um... *pokes you with a stick* Omegaman17? Hellooooo? *sigh* The pancakes are done! (Oh my gosh I laughed so hard at the review, seriously, I can't tell you how hard I laughed. Thank you for making me laugh so hard my throat started hurting and my sides started burning. Seriously, thank you. :D)**

 **Toothless801: Haha, no worries! Dishes are EVIL! They're almost as evil as touchscreens. :D Almost. Not quite. XD COOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIEEEEEESSSSSSSSS! *inhales half of the cookies like vacuum cleaner* *gives the rest back to you* Aww, I'm running out of ways to thank you for reviewing! Seriously, I've run out of ways a long time ago as well! I don't know how to accept compliments. I always feel like a vending machine trying to accept a wrinkly dollar and it's frustrating for everyone involved...yeah. I like returning the compliments, so THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! :D :D :D You will find out what happens to our friends (A.K.A. Hiccup, Astrid and Heather) in this chapter! EEEEEEEEKKKKK I hope no one gets mad at me...**

 **Palimon: Yeah, I know. I was hoping Drago would die in the movie. Or, I was hoping Toothless would plasma blast Drago out of existence, or someone would stab Drago like Hiccup did in this fanfiction...but yeah. HTTYD2 was also geared towards younger audiences, so I suppose they couldn't have done anything too violent. Oh well. I'm glad you liked what I've changed so far! :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Yeah, I don't think even DRAGO could survive a sword to the heart like that. AND I AIN'T EVEN MAD! *dances around* Drago's dead! Drago's dead! Dance with me, Sil! :D**

 **neobendium: Here's your Stormcutter. I'll get Sparkglider, my Changewing, and we can be awesome again! :D Death or glor - oh wait, we're done with that scene, okay. :D I'm not a huge fan of crossovers, but maybe I'll check it out! I'm glad you liked the update! I had fun killing Drago, heh heh...well, who wouldn't? ;) A truth and dare story? That sounds AMAZING! Funny enough, I've actually been thinking about that for a while now. Ever since I first started fanfiction, actually. Truth or dare would be amazing. I might do it...someday. Maybe I'll have it a never-ending series of one-shots updated at random. Maybe I'll even take Truth or Dare requests! :D Okay, now I'm scheming...LOL. :D**

 **Markiplier is My Senpai: Yep. Poor Hiccup...**

 **Literally No One: I hope Drago's dead, but I'm probably wrong. BUT AT LEAST HE'S DEAD IN THIS FIC! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: YAY SUPER GLUE! THANK YOU! :D**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: That's totally fine, though, being violent when it comes to Drago! It's not violence, as Astrid said! It's communication! There's a DIFFERENCE! :D Hahahaha, yep, violence. :D I'm glad you love the shout-outs so much! I always love getting reviews, so it's nice to be able to return the favor and make the people who reviewed happy. :D I'm glad you liked the chapter! :D**

 **nightfury123: Drago just crossed the line with that part. "Say hello to your Dad for me." I think at that point, everyone wanted to strangle Drago. Even I wanted to strangle Drago. Everyone reading this story wanted to do something drastic to Drago. :) Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **LissanFuryEye: WHOOOOO! *party streamers* *balloons* Ceeeeeeeelebrate good times, come on! Let's celebrate! XD**

 **GuardianDragon98: I KILLED DRAAAGGGGOOOO! :D :D :D WHEEEEEEEEEEEE! :D He deserved death! It is not a bad thing to be joyous over his passing! GOODBYE, DARGO BLOODYFIST! YOU WILL BE FORGOTTEN! :D :D :D The twist comes in this chapter, by the way, so yep, you won't be wondering what the twist is for much longer.**

 **IonitaMircea32: Oh my gosh that bonfire scene had me mentally screaming. I was like _NO no n no no no no no NO JOOOOOHHHHNNNN!_ That was probably one of the most intense scenes in the season. Another one of my favorite scenes (although from a different episode, "His Last Vow") was when Sherlock was shot. When he went through his mind palace to figure out how to save himself...that was an incredible scene! I had to go back and re-watch that like, seven times over! :D Yeah, John and Hiccup can relate to each other in a lot of ways. I agree. Maybe they could both be claustrophobic. I know I would be claustrophobic if I were trapped in a bonfire or stuck in ice. :) **

**KatPrincess01: Happy ending. I normally try to give people happy endings. You'll find out what the twist is in this chapter. :)**

* * *

"NO!" Heather wailed. That didn't just happen. There is NO WAY that just happened. No. Hiccup couldn't be buried beneath all that ice. Hiccup couldn't die, and anyone under there was bound to die...and if not dead, they would suffocate for sure. Hiccup couldn't die now! Not after finally defeating Drago and saving the day. Not after all Drago's ships retreated and Drago was killed. Not after everything they went through.

No.

Heather steered Windshear towards the ground, and Heather leapt off the Razorwhip's back before the dragon even touched down. Heather then raced towards the ice spikes that held her brother captive, flattening her palms against them.

"NO!" Heather screamed. She drew her axe and desperately began hacking at the ice, but to no avail. She couldn't even break the ice with her axe, much less chizzle through it to free her brother and his dragon.

Behind her, Valka and Astrid raced forward. Valka collapsed to her knees beside Heather, beating on the side of the ice with her fists.

"No, no, no!" Valka shouted desperately. "NO!" She pounded her hands against the ice, but that was also to no avail, and Heather realized it.

Not that she would give up because of it.

Standing up, she continued hacking at the ice, and Astrid ran beside her, drawing her weapon to do the same. Heather couldn't lose Hiccup. She had already lost her father, and that had been bad enough, but losing Hiccup would just be too much, especially after everything he did for her and Berk and the Berserkers.

He saved them from Drago's clutches. He was rightfully the Chief of Berk. He couldn't die. He couldn't die and leave Berk Chiefless, and more importantly, he couldn't die and leave Heather _brotherless_. She continued hacking away at the ice with everything she had, even though she was pretty sure her axe blade would break before the ice actually did.

But then, the strangest thing happened.

Heather had seen a lot of wild stuff happen that day, but out of all of them, this moment would have had to been the biggest. The ice started... _glowing_. It glowed an eerie color of bright blue, and the blue continued to spread, continued to grow, continued to get brighter, and brighter, and brighter, until it was nearly _white-_

"Get out of the way!" Heather screeched, and just in time, too, because the moment Astrid, Valka and Heather managed to scramble backwards in a somewhat mad haste, the ice exploded.

Literally, it exploded. Large chunks of ice flew in all directions, some of it burying into the roofs of houses while others mounted precariously on top of the buildings of Berk.

As soon as the explosion finally subsided, Heather looked forward, hardly daring to breathe. Was her brother alive? Had he survived? Where the HECK did that explosion come from?

Then, she got all of her answers.

Toothless stood over Hiccup, his back fins glowing the same blue color the ice had glowed before it burst into large chunks. Hiccup was crouching beneath Toothless, his eyes open, his expression a mix of worried and relieved.

He was _alive._

Hiccup was alive, and Toothless was absolutely furious. The Night Fury roared louder than Heather had ever heard a dragon roar before in her entire life, and that was saying something, since she had heard a lot of dragons roar before. His roar was even louder than the Alpha's roar, and it sounded much more intimidating to be sure.

Toothless glanced back at Hiccup, his eyes asking, _Are you okay?_ and as soon as Hiccup smiled reassuringly, Toothless nodded and bounded forward, perching on the edge of another spike of ice. Toothless arched his back and roared again in fury, his attention focused on the Alpha.

Heather, Astrid, and Valka ran up from behind Hiccup, but Hiccup didn't even look at them, although it was clear he had heard them approach. Instead, his eyes were fixated on Toothless. "He's challenging the Alpha!" Hiccup shouted.

Valka laid her hand over Hiccup's shoulder. "To protect _you!"_ she added right along to what he had already stated.

"Go Toothless!" Astrid shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. Heather glanced back at the Hofferson briefly before joining in with the cry.

"Kick his tail, Toothster!" Heather cheered back. For the first time in a long time, she wa smiling genuinely as she watched Toothless take on their enemy. Toothless could do it, and if he couldn't, no one could.

Heather had confidence. No one could win against a furious Night Fury, and that was exactly what Toothless was at that moment.

Toothless fired a plasma blast; the burst was a mix of purple and that same glowing electric blue, and it exploded against the Bewilderbeast's face like a firework. It was the biggest blast Heather ever saw come from the dragon, and it fascinated her and amazed her both at once.

The Alpha's tusk smashed against the spike of ice Toothless was perching on, but Toothless didn't even seemed fazed. He fired again after taking residence on a spike of ice below the first one, and fired again at the Alpha.

Then, slowly but surely, the dragons that had once been flocking over the Alpha turned and hovered in the air over Toothless. The Alpha was losing his hold on the dragons; he no longer had power over their minds. Heather turned and looked at Windshear. The Razorwhip shook the blindfold off her face, her eyes returning to their normal, innocent look.

Toothless was winning the battle for Alpha status. He was winning, and the dragons were coming to his side. Heather threw her hands into the air, unable to stop the "YEAH!" that escaped her.

Hiccup suddenly raced forward, straight up to Toothless without fear. He leapt atop his dragon's back, and Toothless let him without protest, although his main focus remained on the Alpha.

No...not "Alpha" anymore. The Bewilderbeast wasn't the Alpha dragon anymore.

Toothless was. Toothless was the King of all dragons.

Toothless let loose another ear piercing roar, and then, all the dragons in the air over him and around him open fired at the Bewilderbeast. They hit him from every angle possible, all over his face, neck, and even some of his back. Heather couldn't help but smile even brighter. This was incredibly amazing. So, so amazing. Heather had never seen anything like this before.

The dragons stopped all at once, and Toothless fired one final plasma blast, aiming straight for the Bewilderbeast's tusks. Heather saw it all in slow motion: the plasma blast exploded, and the dragon's tusk snapped straight off, leaving jagged spikes where it used to be. Black smoke poured from the gaping hole, and the former Alpha roared a mix of what sounded like fury and pain.

Toothless roared in triumph. He had won. To Heather's shock and surprise, the Bewilderbeast _bowed_. He bowed to Toothless; to the new Alpha.

"The Alpha protects them all!" Hiccup shouted, his voice full of triumph, much like Toothless' roar. As if agreeing with what he had said, Toothless roared again, and behind him and above him, the other dragons did the same, cheering in victory.

The Bewilderbeast turned, defeated, and returned to the water from where it had come. It sank beneath he waves almost painfully slowly, but as soon as it was gone, the Berserkers and Berkians alike burst into cheers.

"YEAH!" Astrid whooped. She punched Heather's shoulder with more force than necessary, and it nearly sent Heather crashing into Valka, not that Heather was complaining. "He did it!" Astrid cheered. "He did it!"

"He did it!" Heather repeated. She and Astrid did their special hand-shake-type gesture, where they put their arms up and bashed their forearms together. They had done it years ago, after taking out Berserkers on Dagur's ship, and now, they were doing it once again in celebration of their victory.

Heather heard a very faint cracking sound over the cheers, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She didn't know what it was, but it didn't matter, because they had won, and now they were wallowing in their triumph.

Toothless and the other dragons raced back and landed on solid ground, Toothless standing in front of all the other dragons. Hiccup slid off Toothless' back and stepped away, watching in awe as the dragons bowed lowly to their new Alpha. Toothless straightened his posture and tried to look majestic, and it became clear that the dragon loved people bowing to him.

Then, the dragons lifted their heads and blasted fire into the air. Heather watched as the fires collided like fireworks, sending small, floating embers down upon the ground. It was beautiful to witness and amazing to watch.

Toothless raced back towards Hiccup, and Hiccup put his hands under the dragon's chin, smiling softly. "You never cease to amaze me, bud," Hiccup whispered. He rested his forehead against the dragon's muzzle and shut his eyes contentedly. "Thank you."

It was a beautiful moment.

But then, that moment ended. The cracking noise Heather had heard earlier suddenly grew louder, and louder, until it was impossible to not notice. She spun around. One of the dislodged spikes of ice that was resting precariously on the roof of a building was becoming loose, and now, it cracked, and rolled off the building.

Right towards where Astrid was standing.

It all happened so quickly. Heather couldn't move. She wanted to; she desperately wanted to, but her feet were frozen. She couldn't shout, she couldn't yell, and she couldn't scream a warning.

It wouldn't have made a difference if she had.

"ASTRID, LOOK OUT!" Hiccup yelled, his voice filled with panic. He ran towards her instantly. He passed where Heather was standing and shoved Astrid out of the way. The Hofferson was pushed against the ground, landing a few feet away, out of danger of being crushed.

Unfortunately, when Hiccup shoved her, he put himself right where she had once been standing, and there was nothing anyone else could have done about it, because then, before anyone could react, the ice came down on Hiccup, capturing him beneath it, slamming him against the ground and pinning him there.

There was a beat.

Or maybe that was the beat of Heather's heart as she stood there in shock of what had just happened. She heard her heart in her ears: _THUMP THUMP,_ louder than the cries of villagers heard in the distance.

She couldn't hear hardly anything. She heard people shout, but it fell on almost deaf ears. They sounded like whispers, as if they were shouting from the Academy and Heather was at the forge, unable to hear what they were saying.

 _THUMP THUMP_ , her heartbeat went again.

The next most noticeable thing was Astrid's screeching voice: _"HICCUP!"_ Heather turned towards it and watched as Astrid stood up, seemingly in slow motion, and ran.

Everything Heather saw was in slow motion, and everything she was able to hear was in slow motion as well. Shouts, screams, Astrid's desperate cries-

 _THUMP THUMP_.

Time sped up again, and she raced forward desperately, still unable to fully register what had just happened.

Astrid gritted her teeth and tried lifting the piece of ice off Hiccup, but to no avail. Her fingers slipped and were cut on the smaller, jagged pieces of ice, but she didn't care. She couldn't find purchase. She grunted through her teeth at the strain of trying to heave the ice upwards, but to no avail.

Her efforts were in vain.

All of that happened in just a second, because an instant later, there were other vikings, and dragons, including, but not limited to, Toothless, Valka, Snotlout, Eret, the twins, Fishlegs, and Heather.

Bit by bit, inch by inch, the ice was raised just enough, and as soon as it was, Astrid bent down, grabbed Hiccup under his arms, and pulled him out from under the ice.

She pulled his head and shoulders right into her lap, holding him like that as the others tossed the piece of ice away. Panicked, Astrid waved her hand in front of Hiccup's face, trying to garner a reaction from him.

"Hiccup!" she shouted, her voice strangled and choked. "HICCUP!"

Hiccup cracked his eyes open, and as glazed and unfocused as they were, at least they were open to life and not open to death. He glanced up at her, his chest rising and falling shakily and heavingly.

"Astrid," he croaked.

Astrid heard someone shouting for a healer; maybe it was herself that was shouting, but she couldn't tell either way. Her focus was only on Hiccup.

"Hiccup," she whispered back. "It's okay, you're gonna be okay…"

Problem was, she didn't know if she was lying to him or not.

Hiccup, as if oblivious to what she was saying, moved his hand towards his pocket (the one he kept his map of the world in), and then took his hand out again. His fingers were clenched into a fist, and before Astrid could ask what he was holding, he shoved it into her palm (it felt cool and metallic) and closed her fingers around it with his shaking hand before she had a chance to even look at what it was.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry…"

His eyes slid closed.

"Hiccup...HICCUP!" Astrid shouted again, although she felt like crying now. She couldn't tell whether or not Hiccup was even breathing anymore. She put her fingers on the pulse point on his neck; she could feel it, faint as it was, but at least it was there. Valka and Heather collapsed beside her and Hiccup, but Astrid could barely think about that.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she opened her hand to reveal what Hiccup had given her.

It was a ring.


	27. Chapter 27

**Like I said, more Hiccstrid to come in this and future chapters. Why? Because I love Hiccstrid like I love chicken noodle soup and chocolate and Owl City and everything amazing and awesome and AH. :D**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: I had to leave you guys hanging. It was the perfect cliffhanger. :D**

 **ParagonNight666: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I'm really sorry about all you're going through. I don't know what to say, really. I'm glad my chapters are helping you in some way.**

 **Ultimateblack: I'm glad I made it dramatic enough for your taste. :) I like dramatics. Except I'm not so good at making every chapter dramatic. Usually I have to pick one chapter, and overload it with dramatics, while the other chapters aren't as dramatic, because if they're all dramatic, it makes me feel like I'm repeating myself, and I don't want to do that. :D Seriously though, that was a really encouraging review there, so thank you! I'm glad I was able to capture the events and make them clear last chapter. It makes me happy. :) No, I haven't heart of Digimon Tamers before, but maybe I'll check it out someday. And Hiccup did propose to Astrid, in the most subtle way possible. Hiccup, Hiccup, oy, oy, oy! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **dragonridr55: Because I am evil and like hurting him and making his friends and family suffer! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No, actually, I'm just a writer with a knack for hurting the main characters. :/**

 **Literally No One: I don't know why! I'm sorry! I'm so evil!**

 **clank2662: Hiccup rage! Whooooooo! :D**

 **HappyPup1: HICCSTRID FOREVER! OY OY OY OY OY! :D**

 **neobendium: AHHHHH! *hides from feels, and from you and your dragons* Don't hurt me yet! I haven't killed him yet! Hiccstrid is adorable no matter what the situation is, seriously. So sweet! :D**

 **LissanFuryEye: Yep. Just about.**

 **Carly Marley: We'll have to see what happens next! *cries along with you***

 **nightfury123: :D Toothster. :D I don't know how I get so many reviews. I have a lot of followers. It could be because I've written so many stories in the past (this is my 86th one). But yeah, I don't know. I have a lot of followers, I suppose. :) Sure, I'll check your stories out sometime! Sounds great! :D**

 **XXCadet-X-SeineraXX: I KNOW I KNOW I'M SO EVIL! Here's your update! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Me too! Poor Hiccup! And poor Astrid, too!**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Don't die! *sobs***

 **Dria Haddock II: Don't die now, Hiccup! He can't die now...but knowing me, it's impossible to know for sure what will happen. *sets chainsaw to the side* HE JUST PROPOSED TO HER HE CAN'T DIE! *sobs again***

 **Toothless801: Funny, even I myself am pleading with myself to not kill Hiccup. I am so weird. I spend my days daydreaming and writing and talking to myself...I'm crazy! XD Sorry I broke your heart...here is some heart glue...*hands it to you* *takes some for myself* Okay I'm good. So far...HICCUP JUST PROPOSED TO HER! HE PROPOSED TO- *heart breaks again* Oh man...hahahahaha, nope, never verbally! It would be SOOOOOOOO awkward! (Yeah, don't do that verbally either, lol! :D) Thanks for the awesome review, Tooth! :D**

 **IonitaMircea32: I so totally got the Sherlock reference in that! Love it! :D I love Sherlock so much. I generally catch all the references people give me. XD I DID see the teaser for the Christmas special! It's so amazing! :D I can't wait for it to come out! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **ForteEXEMaster: Hahaha! *sobs* Sort of hilarious...sort of now. HAHA. *sobs harder* HAHAHAHA! *sobs ocean of feels in the corner***

 **Drew Luczynski: I know, Drago should have died in canon, but oh well. Hopefully he dies in the third movie if he comes back. Please don't kill me! If Hiccup survives this, I'll write a wedding scene, but I can't do that if I'm dead!**

 **GuardianDragon98: Because I am evil like that!**

 **Letstellstorys014: I think everyone who has ever read any of my full stories have a love-hate relationship with me and my work. Part of them want to strangle me and the other part of them wants to hug me. Meh. XD**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: I'm glad you liked the twist there and didn't get too mad at me for it. :) HICCUP PROPOSED TO ASTRID GAAAAAAHHHH! :D :D :D Hiccup can't die, he has to marry Astrid! :D YOU are amazing, and I'm glad you love this story! :D**

 **Omegaman17: *puts hands over head* I SURRENDER! But I can think of a good reason not to hurt me...if you hurt me now, you'll never know what happens to Hiccup, or whether or not he'll live to see his wedding day. *looks at your bludgeon* Consider me warned...**

 **TheFutureChieftessOfBerk: HIIIIIIICCCCCCCUUUUUUPP! Let's hope I don't kill him.**

 **Amethyst Dove: I agree, he is stronger than people think...but it was a big, heavy chunk of ice...let's hope he pulls through! For Astrid's sake, and for the sake of all who read this story!**

 **AnimeAngel: Star Wars is amazing! I can't wait for the new Star Wars movie (it's coming out in December, right? Or was it November?). YAY, HICCUP PROPOSED! NO, HICCUP IS DYING! AAAHHHH! *faints* *Sparkglider shakes her head* "Why do I even bother with her." XD**

 **thearizona: Haha, LOOOOOKKKIIII'DDDD! XD**

 **guest: Sorry I hurt him again!**

 **Silver Electricity: HJGSDHGJAGEHJGHJDBSVNAVSDGHJEGD!**

* * *

It was a ring, and it was a beautiful one at that, silver metal gleaming against the sun, the blue, sapphire gemstone glittering in the bright light.

A betrothal ring.

Hiccup had just, in the most subtle way possible, proposed to her.

Her mind froze for a moment.

Then, she closed her fingers around the ring again and looked back down at Hiccup (her betrothed?), her eyes remaining wide in panic.

"HICCUP!" she screamed at him. He didn't respond, either unconscious or dead, she couldn't tell. "No! You can't do something like that, Hiccup!" She patted his cheek in hopes he would wake up again, but nothing happened. His head lolled to the side, but that was it. "You can't die now!" Astrid screeched. "Snap out of it! Cut it out!"

She placed the ring into the pouch on her belt delicately. She didn't want to be the one to put it on: that was Hiccup's place. He had to wake up now. He _had_ to. He simply had to.

Astrid didn't know what she would do...if he never woke up...if he never married her...if he never opened his eyes or smiled again...if he never laughed at one of her jokes or showed her a new land...if he never balanced books on his head again and teased her because she couldn't reach them...if he never opened his eyes…

She bent down, pressing her forehead against his.

"Please," she whispered in a cracked voice. "Please, Hiccup." Tears rained down from her eyes, dropping against Hiccup's face. "Don't be gone."

...

"We need more water...his fever's risen…"

Valka grabbed the now empty pitcher of water and rose to a stand. "I'll be right back," she said. "I want to talk to Gothi about his injuries as well. Come and get me if he worsens."

Without another word, she turned and raced towards the well to refill the pitcher. Astrid and Heather both sat by Hiccup's bedside, and while Astrid held Hiccup's hand clasped in both of her own, Heather took to checking his brother's bandages and making sure they were bound tightly and didn't need to be changed.

When the healer finally arrived at the scene, they had taken Hiccup on a stretcher back to his abode. Heather asked Astrid what Hiccup had given her, and Astrid had refused to tell her, saying that they would talk about it when they knew more about Hiccup's injuries.

Heather didn't question Astrid further after that.

She didn't have the heart.

Heather felt terrible. She should have seen it coming. She should have seen that giant piece of ice _coming_. She'd heard the cracking noises that indicated something was wrong, but she hadn't took the moment to actually consider what it was.

This reminded her painfully of how her brother was wounded all that while back, what seemed so long ago, when he saved her from Dagur's knife, much like he saved Astrid from that dreaded ice-spike.

Speaking of Astrid…

She was clinging to Hiccup's hand tightly, sobs racking through her body, her shoulders shaking. She didn't look very much like she was trying to hold her tears back, and if she was, she was doing a terrible job of it.

"This is my fault," Astrid choked. "This is all my fault."

Listening to Astrid scold herself wasn't helping the situation, but at the same time, no one told her to hush up or stop crying even once. _Everyone_ was freaked out. _Everyone_ was trying not to cry. _Everyone_ was blaming themselves.

But...at the same time…

"Astrid," Heather tried, "you can stop blaming yourself."

" _No,_ I _can't_ ," Astrid snapped. "I can't. It's my fault. I should have moved out of the way. I should have been more careful. I should have...I should have...I sh-should have moved, so that way he...he didn't have to...to push me out of the way to save me...oh gods, Hiccup…" She kissed his knuckles, her tears splashing against his fingers. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Hiccup...you didn't deserve this...you didn't deserve this..."

This was unnerving. Heather wasn't used to seeing Astrid so...broken, for lack of better word. Normally, Astrid wouldn't even _admit_ that she was sad, and now, she was displaying it openly.

Well, at the same time, Heather supposed it made sense. After all...Hiccup _was_ gravely wounded…

She'd only seen Hiccup in this state once, and it was something she'd hoped she'd never have to see again, but here she was, watching her still, unconscious brother as he lied limply on his bed, his bangs matted with sweat and plastered to his feverish forehead, with his cheeks an unhealthy shade of red and the rest of his face washed out by a sickly white, his freckles standing out almost painfully against his waxy skin…

And it wasn't just in appearances, either. According to Gothi, the damage done on his body wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it wasn't pretty. Broken ribs, minor concussion. His arm was so twisted out of place that Heather could hear the bones snapping back together as Gothi pushed them, one by one back into place.

There could have been more damage beneath his skin that not even Gothi could see. Gothi had said that they could only hope Hiccup pulled through, because so far, with his fever and weak condition, he wasn't going so well...

She shook her head. She couldn't think about it. It made her want to gag.

"A'trid…"

Heather and Astrid both looked down at Hiccup instantly. His eyes were cracked open just barely, although they were filled with confusion and pain. His eyes were glassy and hazy with fever, and it was even more worrisome.

"Hey," Astrid whispered. She put her hand atop his head, rubbing her thumb across his hairline "Can you hear me okay?"

Hiccup nodded and swallowed thickly. "Wh...what...ha-hap'ned…?" he slurred. He coughed harshly, his voice growing more scratchy, and his coughs becoming more violent with every one that passed. Astrid continued stroking hair off his face, clearly at a loss of what else to do.

"Shh, don't speak," she said, once his fit of coughing finally came to an end. The coughing left him breathless, and he breathed through his mouth in shallow gasps.

 _Breathing probably hurts, no doubt,_ Heather thought to herself as she watched Astrid and her brother sadly, feeling enraged and heartbroken both at once. _Broken ribs will do that to someone_.

"You're hurt," Astrid whispered, breaking Heather from her thoughts. "We're taking care of you, don't worry, Hiccup. You don't have to get worked up, it isn't good for you right now. You need to rest."

Hiccup swallowed thickly, as if there was a lump in his throat that he couldn't gulp down or cough up. "Wh...why are...y-you crying?" he said hoarsely; the words were barely distinguishable due to his guttural, clogged sinuses.

"I'm just worried," Astrid admitted. She removed her hand from his forehead and grabbed his hand, holding both of his hands in both of her own, being extraordinarily gentle with the one that was broken. "You don't have to freak out about it, alright? You're weak, Hiccup. You have to rest now."

"'M not freaking out…" Hiccup murmured, despite Astrid's demand to sleep. "'M not...just worried...'bout you…"

Heather couldn't help but shake her head. Typical Hiccup. He was the one hurt, and yet, he was worried about everyone but himself. Just like he always was. Hurt or not hurt, the well beings of others were always his top priority.

Astrid shook her head softly, smiling, although Heather could tell the smile was fake. "You're sweet, Hiccup," she said, "but you have to stop worrying, alright? You don't have the strength to worry about me, or anyone else for that matter."

It took what felt like an eternity, Hiccup nodded, shutting his eyes. He shifted and then tensed again, hissing through his teeth in pain. Astrid pressed her hand against his forehead once again, trying to keep him from moving. "You broke a few ribs," she said. Heather could hear the hidden concern behind her voice. "You won't be able to move for at least a few weeks, and even after that, nothing strenuous for at least a few months."

Hiccup swallowed; he did quite a bit of that, it seemed. "De...define strenuous…" Hiccup coughed.

"For now," Astrid said, "sitting up is considered strenuous. Anything that strains your ribs is considered strenuous. You probably shouldn't even be talking right now.

Rest, and we can talk later, when you're feeling a little better, alright?"

Hiccup's eyelids fluttered. "Astrid…" He stopped when Astrid began running her fingers through his thick hair, and his eyelids finally slipped closed. "Ast-"

"No," Astrid said, firmly yet gently both at once. "You're tired. Your body wants you to rest. Stop fighting it, Hiccup. Just sleep. _Please_ sleep, Hiccup."

"What...what do you say?" Hiccup said instead of following Astrid's orders. "About...a-about the thing I gave you…w-will you...you know…?"

Astrid only smiled back. "Yes," she said. She rested her palm on his forehead, smoothing his bangs off his forehead with her thumb. "Yes. I will."

Hiccup smiled faintly in response, and then, after another moment, his breathing deepened, and his eyes finally closed, indicating sleep.

Heather wondered what they were talking about, but she didn't ask. She would find out later. Right now, she was too worried about her brother to care about what Astrid and him were talking about.

Astrid's faint smile melted into concern. "Valka was right," she said, pressing her hand to Hiccup's forehead. "His fever _is_ getting higher."

Heather already knew that, just by looking at Hiccup. He was sweating more profusely, and she noticed him shuddering every so often by a chill that wracked his body. She glanced back over at the door. Their mother should have been back by now-

As if on cue, Valka stepped through the doorway, a bucket of water dangling from her grip. She set it by the bed and glanced at Astrid warily. "Well?" she asked with question. "Did anything happen?"

"Nothing much," Astrid admitted. "He woke up for a few minutes, and he seemed coherent for the most part...but he's in pain, Valka. What are we going to do now?"

Valka sighed, dunked a rag into the bucket of water she had brought, squeezed it out, and pressed it to Hiccup's forehead. "There is nothing more to be done, I'm afraid, Astrid," she said with regret. "The only thing now is to keep his fever down, and maybe get him to eat something when he feels up to it."

Heather looked down at the ground. She couldn't help but feel as though this was all her fault. How could she not feel that way? If she hadn't let her anger take the better of her...if only she hadn't yelled at Hiccup like she had, after the death of their father. This entire situation probably could have been avoided. Drago would have never captured Hiccup and Astrid. So many things would have been avoided if she had just simply not been so selfish.

And it wasn't the first time her selfishness had almost taken Hiccup's life, either.

"What did Gothi say?" Astrid asked quietly. "What are his chances?"

Valka shook her head. "Fifty to fifty either way," she said. "If we can get this fever of his down, he might have a better chance of pulling through. If we can't…"

She let her voice trail off, and no one asked her to continue. They already knew what she meant; they already knew the danger Hiccup was in. They didn't need to be told again.

"He'll pull through," Astrid said firmly. She glanced back at Valka and Heather when they looked at her. At length, Astrid broke eye contact, staring at Hiccup's features, her gentle fingers constantly stroking hair off his face.

"He has to," Astrid said.

Heather felt the same way.


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey, guys! Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to do shout-outs this chapter, because my email won't load...again. Stupid email. Oh well.**

 **BUT I READ ALL THE REVIEWS AND THEY MADE MY DAY MORE THAN YOU REALIZE, TO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! :D :D :D**

 **I just have to say that I am well aware of how emotionless Valka was in the previous chapter. A few reviewers were wondering last chapter if it was intentional or not, and yes, it was intentional. In the previous chapter, I was really focusing on Hiccup and Astrid, in Heather's point of view. There will be a later chapter (chapter 29 or 30) that will be written entirely in Valka's point of view, along with some mother/son bonding (because if you ask me, we didn't get quite enough of that in HTTYD2).**

 **So yeah. That's what's happening. I want to thank GuardianDragon98 who inspired part of this chapter in a review, so thank you! :) THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS! THEY MEAN SO MUCH TO ME! :D Enjoy chapter 28, and I'll do shout-outs next chapter! :D Byyyyeeee!**

* * *

Heather walked through the village plaza that night, towards the stables with Windshear walking behind her. Heather really didn't like the idea of leaving Windshear in the stables to sleep, but at the same time, all the Berserkers put their dragons in the stables while they were on Berserk; it wouldn't be right for Heather to be any different from them, even if she _was_ their Chief.

"Alright, there you go, girl," Heather said as soon as she came to an empty stall. A Nadder and a Zippleback were sleeping on the stalls left and right of the one Heather was putting Windshear in, but that didn't concern Heather. Windshear could keep her own, and the other dragons in the stables would know better than to bother Windshear.

Windshear looked back at Heather, her eyes pleading.

"I know, Windshear," Heather assured the dragon, gently putting her hand on the Razorwhip's muzzle, "but you need to stay here for tonight. I'll get you out first thing in the morning, and we can take a dawn flight together. How does that sound?"

Windshear cooed halfheartedly and strode into the stall, curling into herself as Heather swung the door shut.

"Good night, Windshear," Heather said, sounding as half hearted as Windshear had. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Slowly, Heather sauntered back down the hall, walking in between the rows of stalls, taking all the time in the world, kicking randomly scattered straws of hay as she went. It wasn't a "good night" for any of the Berkians or Berserkers. They just fought a war. People were wounded. None of them very severely wounded, but wounded nonetheless.

Well, none of them severely wounded, except Heather's very own brother.

As soon as she stepped outside, she bumped into none other than Eret, son of Eret, the ex-trapper who had helped the Berkians and Berserkers fight against Drago's men. Eret grunted, and Heather yelped in surprise.

Eret instantly took a step backwards, obviously as surprised as Heather was. "Oh, my apologies, lass," he said instantly. In his hand he held leather reins, and Heather wondered what he was leading.

"Yeah, it's fine," Heather replied. "You just startled me is all. What brings you to the stables?"

"Oh." Eret tugged gently on the reins, and Skullcrusher stepped into view. Heather couldn't help but gasp lightly at seeing her father's dragon. She was still having a hard time registering the fact that her father was dead, gone forever out of her life. It wasn't fair; it wasn't fair at all.

And now her brother was hurt on top of her father being killed…

"Looking for a place for this big guy, actually," Eret went on. "I was hoping to run into someone…" Eret suddenly must have realized that it wasn't a very good choice of words, because he instantly tried to change them, his tone going from smooth to awkward in a split second. "Well, not literally, but...well...yes." Eret shook his head and cleared his throat into his fist. "I was just going to ask where he normally stays."

"Oh," Heather said quietly, shaking her head. Skullcrusher had a personal stable outside the Haddock residence, she recalled. "Here, I can take him…" She held her hand out, and Eret hesitantly handed her the reins.

"Really?" Eret asked. "I don't mind, if you just let me know where he stays."

"I don't mind."

Heather looked at the Rumblehorn's expression. Skullcrusher looked so... _lonely_ now that Heather was holding his leather reins. Heather then looked back at Eret. This trapper gave up everything to help her and Hiccup save Berk.

And besides, with Stoick gone, Skullcrusher would be all alone, without a rider, possibly forever, unless…

"You know," Heather began, "with my father gone, Skullcrusher…" She couldn't believe she was actually saying this, to a once dragon trapper, but she trusted Eret. He deserved to be shown that. "Skullcrusher's going to need someone to look after him," Heather finished, smiling shyly at Eret.

Eret looked perplexed. "Me?" he asked, pointing to himself.

Heather nodded in confirmation.

Eret's posture relaxed, and when Heather handed him back the reins, he took them. "It would be my honor," Eret said, looking very much like he would bow then and there.

Heather nodded once again, and lowered her head, looking at her feet as if they had become very interesting, not knowing what else to say to the former dragon trapper in order to break the ice-

She really shouldn't have thought about ice, because she instantly thought about her brother, and she shook her head violently.

"Except...I don't know if I can accept it."

Heather looked back up at Eret in confusion. What did he mean, "I don't know if I can accept it"? "What are you talking about?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound angry. "I just said-"

"I know, what you said," Eret began, cutting through her speech whether he meant to or not. "It was just...well...I wasn't just coming here to find a place for the dragon. I was also coming to say my farewells."

Heather's mind came to a halt. _"What?"_

"I don't belong here," Eret said slowly. "I don't belong here, with you Berkians. How could I? I trapped dragons, scarred half of them for life...most of them can't even fly anymore. The rest of you...you're generous, and you're kind, and I don't think I'd ever fit in."

"Where would you go? Back to your homeland?"

Eret shook his head. "Not really, no," he said. "I don't know where I would go, to be honest, Lady Heather. I suppose I'll just make it up as I go along. It seems as though I've been destined to be alone."

Hearing him say that made Heather's mind stop all over again. She remembered when she had said that to Hiccup, what seemed so long ago, before they even knew they were brother and sister. She remembered what it was like, to feel as though she had no place...to feel as though no where she went would actually be "home" to her.

And then, she remembered how wrong she had been. She'd been so wrong back then; truth was, she'd had a home all along, with her friends and family. She had a place, even though it seemed as though she would never fit in.

"None of us are perfect, Eret," Heather said. "I know what it's like, to feel alone, and to even feel as though destiny has set it up to be that way, but...but...you'll have support here. It might take a little while to get used to, but we've all changed from what we once were. Even the Berkians. We used to be enemies with the dragons, but now, we're at peace. The Berserkers and the Berkians used to be at war, and look at this. Renewing a peace treaty. That's the whole reason the Berserkers are here, actually."

"I don't know." Eret looked down.

"Try," Heather pressed. "Stay here. It took me a long time to find my home...and maybe you've finally found yours. Do your best, and if you still want to leave, no one will stop you. Except...well...no one wants you gone, Eret."

Eret sighed, although when he lifted his head, he was smiling. "Thank you, Heather," he said.

Heather only shrugged in response.

Eret shifted. "So...what's the word on Hiccup?" he asked slowly. "How is he?"

Heather only shook her head. She didn't want to think about her brother and his plummeting condition, but she knew there was no backing down. She didn't want to hide anything from Eret, especially when the ex-trapper had come so close to leaving. "Not as good as we would have hoped," she said lowly. "He's resting. Astrid's with him. But...yeah. He's feverish, and...well, he's hurt."

Eret's brow furrowed. "How hurt?"

Heather really didn't want to talk about this, but there was no reason why she wouldn't tell Eret about her brother's condition. After all, Eret was one of them now. Hiccup was his Chief. "Hurt to the point where we don't know for certain whether or not he'll pull through," Heather admitted at long last.

Eret looked down. "Poor lad," he said. "Is there anything I can do?"

Heather shook her head. "Unfortunately, no," she said. "I wish there were something we could do." She looked back; the Haddock residence was just barely in her sight. She could see the roof of the house.

Eret nodded. "I know how that is," he said. "Worrying about a family member, wishing there was something more we could do...feeling helpless in the situation…"

Heather turned to him. "Eret," she said slowly, trying to pick her words carefully. She didn't want to invade his privacy or anything, but she knew that she needed to find out more about this ex-trapper if he was going to be taking residence on Berk and living with her brother's people. "Eret," she repeated, "how did you become a dragon trapper in the first place?"

Eret sighed heavily, looking down at the ground. "Well," he said, "that's a long and...rather tragic story…" He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "But I suppose it's high time someone knew." He sat down on a log the length of a bench, and Heather sat down beside him. Skullcrusher laid down and snoozed silently while Eret took in a deep breath to begin his story.

Heather waited, watched, and listened patiently, her eyes and ears catching every detail.

"I lived far away," Eret began in a longing voice, his eyes gazing out towards the ocean as if he were imagining the words he was speaking, "on an island with no name...quite literally, actually. Our elders never actually gave the island a proper name. I lived a carefree life, looking after myself, and my family."

Heather stopped him right there. "Your family," she echoed, and Eret nodded slowly. Heather turned her head away once again, blinking rapidly. A family? Eret had a family?

"Yes, my family," Eret went on. "My beautiful wife, Eleanor. Ah, she couldn't carry a tune if it had a handle on it, but she didn't care either way. Whenever we had our celebrations or feasts, she always sang her very heart out into every word she said."

Eret spoke of her so longingly, as if he would do anything in the world to see her again.

"And our daughter, called Lilia," Eret went on in an even dreamier tone. "She was the spitting image of her mother, and a lot louder, I'll give her that." He nudged Heather's side friendly, and Heather smiled weakly in response, still focusing on the words Eret was speaking. "Her voice was like the most beautiful bird's song, which was a complete contrast to her mother's voice. She was so young and yet, so gifted. So wonderful. So lovely."

He glanced down at the ground again, his eyes going from dreamy to hurt in a matter of seconds.

"What happened to them?" Heather asked as soon as the thought popped into her mind. "To your wife, and to Lilia?"

"It was supposed to be a normal hunting trip," Eret said darkly. "Lilia was seven when Eleanor and I decided she was old enough to go on her first hunting trip. She didn't want to hunt the squirrels, so in the end, we actually went fishing instead, since the fish weren't quite as cute as the squirrels to her."

So far, nothing seemed to be the problem. Heather imagined it in her mind's eye; a little girl, a younger version of Eret, and Eret's wife, sitting at the shore of a lake with fishing poles in hand.

"And then," Eret continued, "out of no where came men. Men, who actually turned out to be dragon trappers. They surrounded us before we could fight back, wielding their sharp swords and hefting axes over their heads as if they were executioners."

Eret paused.

"And that's when I met Drago Bludvist for the first time," Eret said lowly. "Drago walked through the men, and they parted to make a path for him. I could see it in their eyes. They wouldn't dare get in his way. I stood in front of my family, ready to defend them until the end, but...but we were outnumbered."

Heather didn't want to imagine where this was going, but she never told Eret to stop. She didn't urge him to continue, simply because she knew he would. She remained focused, listening to every detail.

"Drago offered me a proposition," Eret went on to say. "He said that if I helped him and his trappers trap dragons for one month straight, he would spare my family, and my village." Eret looked back at Heather. "Do I really need to even tell you what my decision was?" he asked.

Heather knew he didn't. Heather knew that she would take Drago up on the offer if it meant protecting those she loved, and more importantly, her own family. She shook her head, and Eret continued.

"I said yes to Drago," Eret said. "Just as Drago said he would, he let my family go free. I promised Eleanor and Lilia that I would come back to them, that I would make sure they were safe. I promised I would be safe, too. And then they were gone. They ran back towards the village, and I went with Drago."

He paused for a long moment. "But that's not all," he said lowly.

Heather didn't want to push him, but she didn't want him to stop, either. She needed to know where this story was heading, and even more importantly, how it ended. "What happened?" she asked.

"We returned after the mandatory month," Eret said. "Through that month, I trapped more dragons than I wish to think of. I wounded and injured dragons as though...as though they were nothing more than animals. Lowly animals without life or conscience or feelings. I was so focused on getting back to my family that I didn't even realize what I was doing to the dragons in the process."

Heather was shocked, but she said nothing. She had nothing to say, anyways.

"When we arrived back at the village," Eret said, "I expected my family to come running. I expected to see Eleanor, Lilia, and all the other villagers again. I expected to have a big welcoming home with all my friends. But instead...instead…" He sighed, and took in another deep breath. "The village was in ruins," Eret said, shaking his head feverishly. "As though fire breathing dragons had swooped over it and burned it to a crisp. There was no fire left, and no smoke rising from the heaping piles of ash that were once buildings. All that remained was dust, ash, and bones."

Heather was pretty sure that if Drago were alive right now, she would have killed him. Drago must have ordered the destruction of Eret's village. No one else could have done it. She was about to speak her mind, when Eret broke through her thoughts with his voice.

"And there stood Drago, amongst the ruins," Eret said. "I ran to him. I yelled at him. I threatened him, demanded to know why he had done what he'd done, and more importantly, if he cared about the lives that he ended. But he simply did this." At the last word, Eret showed Heather the scars on his lower shoulder once again. "He did this and told me never to speak against him. Never to go against his word. Or...or he would be less forgiving in the future."

"But you told us that Drago did that when you turned up empty handed," Heather said. "You told us-"

"I lied," Eret said plainly. "I lied, Heather, and do you know why? Because all of Drago's soldiers, and all of his trappers, have these scars on some part of their body. It isn't just punishment. It's branding, Heather. He branded us as his servants. As his slaves. Some of them were willing, while others, like myself, were not so. I had nothing left to live for after my village was taken. I had no choice but to follow Drago."

Heather was partially angry with him for lying to them, back when they first encountered each other, but how could she be angry? She would lie if she was branded as a slave, too. She would lie to everyone she came in contact with, even if she didn't know them.

"But Drago is dead," Eret said. "And Hiccup...well, between him, you, and the rest of your tribes, you defeated him. You freed me, and...and I thank you for that. My family would thank you too."

Heather was having a hard time comprehending Eret's story. At length, when she finally trusted herself to speak, she said, "Eret, I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't know-"

"I know you didn't," Eret said, "but now you do, and it's alright. I'll see my daughter, and my wife again, in Valhalla. Hopefully Eleanor has a better pitch there too, aye?" He bumped his shoulder against Heather's, a fragile, fake smile on his face.

"Yeah," Heather tried to smile back. "Maybe."

After that, Eret and Heather went their separate ways; Eret to one of the lodgings where the Berserkers were staying, and Heather back to the Haddock residence, where her brother, mother, and Astrid were.

As she went, she pondered all that Eret had told her, the full moon lighting the path to her destination.


	29. Chapter 29

**GUYS. I JUST REALIZED THAT WE BROKE 500 REVIEWS! 500 DIDDLY DARN REVIEWS, GUYS! THAT IS SOOOOOO INCREDIBLE! I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOO MUCH THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! :D :D :D SHOUT-OUTS:**

 **Ultimateblack: The ship has sailed! You know what, if I write a HTTYD3 AU in this AU when the third film comes out, I might put more Heathret in that. :D**

 **thearizona: I like giving characters tragic back stories. I don't know why. I'm glad you approve. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: THE SHIP HAS SAILED! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Poor Eret, poor Astrid, poor Heather, poor Valka, poor Hiccup...especially poor Hiccup...egh. I tend to do that.**

 **Literally No One: Me too! HeatherXEret! New ship! :D I think I started it...oh boy. What have I done? XD**

 **silverwolvesarecool: YES! Drago's gone! It makes me feel a little better. :D**

 **Letstellstorys014: I'm glad you liked it! :D And my own dragon in the series...hmm...if I were to create one, it would be called the Whiplash. Blue, ocean swelling dragon with a tail that narrows and narrows until it's whip-thin. It can use its tail like a whip, and the whip can slice through layers of skin and even hit bone. I know, right? Totally lame. :P**

 **Carly Marley: :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D**

 **TheFutureChieftessOfBerk: YES! HeatherXEret!**

 **IonitaMircea32: Oh, no! You weren't rude at all! I felt the same way as I re-read the chapter before posting it, I was just "Wow, I made Valka really emotionless." I agree with you; that's one of the reasons I'm making a chapter in her POV and everything. I appreciate you apologizing, though, even though you didn't really do anything wrong. I appreciate it when reviewers let me know if they didn't like something. So, thanks! It helps me become a better author. :D And I'm glad you liked Eret's back story, too! It makes me really happy. :D**

 **Omegaman17: Yeah, tragic. Yeah, I can see a HeatherXEret ship coming up on the horizon...I've already kind of set the sails and everything. :) I'm sorry if I reopened old wounds by the chapter, though. I didn't mean to do that.**

 **dodw: Yup! Heathret! :D**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: I imagine Eret getting married when he was around 18, which meant he was probably around 19 or 20 when he became a father, and a few years older when his family was killed. So, he isn't really that much older than Heather, since Heather's twenty. :D I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: Aww, you're welcome! :D Thanks for the suggestion! :D**

 **ParagonNight666: I'm glad you liked the chapters and think they're getting better. :D I bow to you for reviewing! :D *bows***

 **neobendium: WE ALL WANT TO KILL DRAGO AGAIN! *kicks Drago's body* FEEEEEEELLLLLSSS!**

 **Drew Luczynski: Yep, a lot of development.**

 **ColorQuill: I'm glad you liked the back story and are enjoying this AU! :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **XXCadet-X-SeineraXX: FEEELLS!**

 **Silver Electricity: GET MORE SUPERGLUE! *rushes to get more***

* * *

"Is he looking any better, Astrid?"

Astrid glanced up at Valka from where she was sitting at the edge of Hiccup's bed, dabbing Hiccup's forehead with a nearly dripping-wet cloth. With a sigh, she shook her head.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Not that I can see...not yet, anyways." She re-wet the rag, wrang it out, and continued her task, wiping sweat off Hiccup's face and trying to bring his temperature down. Sometimes Hiccup reacted to her touch, leaning into her cool hand or shivering from the cold, wet rag, while other times, he didn't move at all. He simply laid there, one of his arms splinted and wrapped in tight bandages while his other arm was draped over his chest, sometimes with Astrid holding his hand.

Valka shook her head. "This never should have happened," she said, her tone bitter. "Never, never to anyone. Especially not to him."

Astrid agreed. Why hadn't that ice hit her instead? Why did Hiccup have to always be the hero? Couldn't he see that his friends cared as much about him as he cared about them? Couldn't he see that they would risk everything to protect him, just as he risked everything to protect them?

Couldn't he think about himself for once? Couldn't he see the ice falling towards her and think, "Well, at least it's not me" instead of thinking "OH MY THOR LOOK DANGER I HAVE TO GO PUT MYSELF IN HER PLACE AND SAVE HER EVEN IF I DIE IN THE END BECAUSE OF IT!"

Why did he have to be so...so... _Hiccup?_ That was the best way Astrid knew how to describe him: Hiccupy. There wasn't another way she knew. He was brave yet not afraid to admit he was scared. He was sarcastic yet serious. He was intelligent yet lighthearted. He was kind yet fierce. He was a born leader, yet always asked others for their opinions. He was smart, and he knew it, yet he never rubbed it in their faces. He was laid back yet right on.

He was Hiccup.

And he was also sick and wounded to the point where the healer couldn't say for a definite fact whether he would live or die.

Astrid felt even worse when she remembered the ring she had in her pouch; the betrothal ring Hiccup had given to her, right before falling unconscious after the big battle. She'd said yes to him; she would marry him.

If he pulled through this painful time.

She shook her head violently. No, not if. When. She had to think positively. She had to be optimistic, no matter how hard it was. She wasn't going to let herself fall into the negative section. It would only make her feel worse.

"I know," Astrid said at length in response to what Valka said. "He shouldn't be in this much pain."

As soon as the words escaped Astrid's mouth, Valka rose to a stand, looking determined. "I'm going to see if there are any pain killing herbs Gothi can give him," the woman said, quickly, looking over her shoulder at the door as she spoke. She turned her head, looking back at Astrid. "Stay with him, please."

Astrid nodded instantly. "You couldn't keep me away if you tried," she said. She smiled and hoped it didn't look as fake as it felt. "I'll stay here, and I'll send Stormfly to get you if he gets worse."

Nodding one final time, Valka turned and raced down the staircase. Astrid heard the door swing open, and then slam shut again, indicating Valka's departure. Sighing softly, Astrid shook her head.

"Oh Hiccup." She shut her eyes and blew a breath of air out of her nose. "How do you always manage to do this to yourself?"

"Do...do what?"

She hadn't expected Hiccup to answer. She turned her head back to look at him, meeting his dazed eyes. "Hey you," she said lightly. "You should be resting." In reality, she was beyond happy he was awake. At least he wasn't in a coma, like he had been after the battle against the Red Death.

Hiccup let a small, tired smile cross his face. "Yeah, for how long?" he asked.

"Until you've recovered." Astrid scooted closer subconsciously. "How are you feeling?"

"I could be worse," Hiccup said. "How...how's the village?"

Of course. Astrid should have expected this from him. "I don't get you, Hiccup. You're crushed by a giant spike of ice, and all you can think about is the village. Do you ever think about yourself?"

Hiccup looked confused. "What type of question is _that?"_ He didn't sound angry; he sounded as though he were asking an honest question.

Astrid shook her head. It really didn't matter whether or not Hiccup answered. She knew he put others before himself no matter what the situation was, beit serious, deadly, or lighthearted.

"Just the fact you shoved me out of the way," Astrid said quietly with a small shake of her head. "You didn't have to. You could have let it hit me."

"No I couldn't have, Astrid," Hiccup insisted. "If...if you'd been...hit, I never...I never would have been able to...forgive myself…"

"You sound tired," Astrid commented gently. She put her hand over his, rubbing his knuckles. "You should sleep. You're not even close to being well yet."

Hiccup didn't listen to her. "Do you like it?" he asked instead after another moment of silence.

Astrid stared back of him, not knowing what he was talking about. After a moment, though, she understood. "Oh," she said, reaching into her pouch and pulling out the ring. She took a few moments to examine its features again: smooth metal work, flawless in every aspect, the blue gem glittering gorgeously. "I love it, Hiccup," she said. "Where'd you get it? Did you make it?"

Hiccup nodded and shut his eyes. "Gobber helped me with the band a little. You don't know how long it took me to find the sapphire."

Astrid paused, her fingers grazing the gemstone of the ring again. "It's a sapphire?" she asked. Sapphires were a rarity, and she knew that. The fact that Hiccup found one, and the fact he used it on her made her stop. "Like, an actual sapphire?"

Another nod, only this time, Hiccup smiled and opened his eyes, if barely. "Took me long enough to give it to you," he said weakly.

Astrid looked back at him for a moment. There was something she had been wondering for the past few hours, while he was sleeping, and now, she was going to ask it. "Why did you give it to me then?" she asked. "Why did you wait until you were crushed by the ice? Why not before, and...why not after?"

Hiccup sighed. "I wanted to propose to you the day the Berserkers first came," he said. "I wanted to do it in the evening, during the treaty signing. I...I was planning on doing something special, but...well…" He laughed weakly, although it turned into a pained cough in the end. "Life doesn't always go the way you plan, huh?"

That still really didn't answer Astrid's question. "But why?" she asked again.

Hiccup shut his eyes. "Because I thought I would die," he said. "I...I was so sure I would never wake up again. The minute the ice hit, I...I...I thought for sure it would be the last time I ever said anything to you. So...I just...wanted to let you know...how much I loved you." He opened his eyes again, gazing up at her. "Even if I never lived to hear you say it back."

"Oh, Hiccup…" She really couldn't hug him with his ribs broken the way they were, so she leaned over him instead, her arm wrapping around his neck. She felt him wrap his one good arm around her, but barely acknowledged it.

"I love you, Hiccup," she whispered against his shoulder. "I love you so much, and I'm going to marry you as soon as you've recovered. We're going to get married, you and I."

That was the hardest part about this: Hiccup could still die. There was no definite way either way. He could live, or he could die, no matter what Astrid did or said. If he didn't recover, they would never be married.

But she wasn't going to say that.

"Sounds great, milady," Hiccup said quietly. "When? Spring? Or should we do it around Snoggletog? You know, Snoggletog's always a beautiful part of year. But so is Spring. You know, when it warms up? What do you think?"

"Snoggletog sounds great to me," Astrid replied. "Right before Devastating Winter begins. When it's cold but not freezing?"

"Whichever date works for me," Hiccup whispered. He tightened the arm around her. "I can't imagine...if it were you crushed beneath the ice. I...I never...never would have gotten...to ask you…"

"I know, I know," Astrid whispered back. She was going to cry, and she knew it. She wanted to prevent it, but it wasn't working. She couldn't hide her tears, especially not now. "You need to be strong, okay?" she gasped against his shoulder. "You need to pull through this so we _can_ get married."

Hiccup closed his eyes for what felt like the upteenth time. "I'll stay strong if you do," he said.

Astrid nodded. "Deal."

She never wanted to move from her position. She never wanted to get up, or to let go of her betrothed. She wanted to hold Hiccup and be held by him forever, never loosen her grip or let him out of her sight. She never wanted to leave him, to be away from him, or to let go of him, ever.

But she also knew that right now, he was injured. If he didn't rest, he would never recover properly.

Reluctantly, she pulled back. Hiccup released her as well, letting her go without any protests voiced out loud. She examined his features. He was pale; all but his cheeks, which were flushed the same shade of red as Toothless' prosthetic tailfin. His bangs were dampened with sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot.

All in all, he looked sick and exhausted.

Astrid brushed the backs of her fingers against his forehead. "Your fever's gotten higher again," she murmured worriedly, speaking to herself more than to Hiccup. She reached aside, grabbing the wet rag out of the bucket of water and draping it over Hiccup's forehead. "There. That should keep it tamed for now."

For now? Astrid hated the uncertainty in her voice, but quite honestly, what did one expect from her? She wasn't going to be happy in a situation such as this, and pretending to be happy was pointless. No one expected her to be positive.

That didn't mean the negativeness helped, either, of course.

Hiccup sighed. "I'll be okay," he said tiredly. "I've got you, remember?"

Smiling, Astrid nodded. "Yeah," she said. She took his unbroken hand in hers and held it tightly, her other hand set atop the rag on his forehead. "And you can't get rid of me, either."

"I never wanted to get rid of you." At this point, Hiccup's voice was a quiet, slurred whisper. His exhaustion was catching up with him, and his fever was sucking away his energy like leeches.

"Rest now, Hiccup," Astrid told him. He really didn't look good; not good at all, and it concerned her even more so. She couldn't stand being any more concerned. It was making her heart ache as it was, watching Hiccup sick and in pain, and watching him fight against sleep with his eyelids fluttering was making her chest feel tight.

She didn't even have to tell Hiccup twice before he finally let his eyes shut. His breathing deepened, indicating sleep, and Astrid sighed, half in relief and half in worry.

"Please," she whispered, bowing her head and shutting her eyes. "Please pull through this, Hiccup. I don't know what I'd ever do without you."


	30. Chapter 30

**So this is Valka's POV chapter! Mother/son bonding is the best. :) You guys are so amazing and awesome! :D Shout-outs:**

 **clank2662: *strokes chin* Very interesting... *adjusts nerdy glasses***

 **silverwolvesarecool: Awwwwwwwww, Hiccstrid!**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: "Hiccup isn't allowed to die!" the angry reviewers yelled at the Author. The Author simply shrugged. "You will have to wait," said the Author mysteriously, "and discover Hiccup's fate for yourselves."**

 **XXCadet-X-SeineraXX: I understood that reference! :D I know what you mean. Hiccstrid makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love Hiccstrid so, so, so much. :)**

 **neobendium: I love Hiccstrid! :D I don't know if I'll kill him or not. I really, honestly don't, except, I'm kinda leaning towards one over the other right now...**

 **ParagonNight666: *pulls gun away from your head* Don't die yet, we have more to do. :) Race to the Edge is AMAZING! I'm glad you got a chance to watch it! So, episode three is "Imperfect Harmony", right? :)**

 **HappyPup1: FEEEEEEEELLLLLSSSS!**

 **LunarCatNinja: I've heard of Rise of Berk! Is it any good? It looks really cool. :)**

 **Letstellstorys014: FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLSSSSSSSS! HICCSTRID FEEEEEELLLLSSS! IT HURTS! AAAAHHHH! *dies* I'm glad you liked the Whiplash dragon thing! Maybe I'll put it in a future story. :) And your dragon sounds so awesome! Seriously, super awesome! I love it! :D**

 **IonitaMircea32: Wow. I didn't expect to make anyone cry. Apparently, half of my reviewers are crying, soooo...XD Thanks for the compliment, though! I'm glad I'm portraying the characters well. :) Ooh, if Hiccup had a mind palace, that would be...wow, that would be...EPIC! Seriously, I think Hiccup's mind palace would be AMAZING! Hiccup reminds me of a slightly more humble version of Sherlock, in a few ways. Hiccup's smart, and honestly, I think Hiccup would probably do what Sherlock did in "His Last Vow", like you said. That is an amazing idea! :D Hiccup's mind palace...AWESOME. :D**

 **Toothless801: I love Hiccup and Astrid's relationship so much! I really don't like how most other relationships are portrayed in other films I've seen. Like, the girl puts her hand on the boy's shoulder, and the boy gets all awkward. I love it how in HTTYD2, when Astrid puts her hand over Hiccup's chest or starts braiding his hair, it's so casual and affectionate. The characters don't even have to SAY anything, and you can FEEL the love they have for each other in their actions. I totally agree with you! I love it how they aren't all lovey-dovey-goo-goo-eyes type thing. You can tell how much they care about each other, in small, tiny gestures, and I love that about Hiccup and Astrid. :D Thanks for reviewing! Great to hear from ya, as always! :D**

 **Drew Luczynski: *eyes the knife warily* Please don't hurt me.**

 **LiviLovesDragons: Hey hey hey, welcome back! :D I'm glad you liked the plot twist, and yeah, Hiccup totally took care of Drago and gave the madman just what he deserved! Good for him! I salute Hiccup! *salutes* Yeah, Hiccstrid! I sometimes feel like running around my house screaming, too. Except normally, when I have to scream, I go outside and do it so no one can look at me and think I'm crazy. XD That is SUCH a compliment, you know! I am honored! I'm glad you like this fic so much! Thanks so much for the review! It really made my day! :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: Let's hope it has a happy ending...**

 **Palimon: I think she knows the seriousness of their situation more than Astrid and Heather do. She knows Hiccup's chances of living through this are slim, and she doesn't want to tell anyone else. :)**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: HIIIIIIIICCCCCCCSSSSSSSTTTTTRRRRRRIIIDDDDDDDDD! Hiccup and Astrid are my favorite couple EEEEVVVEEEEERRRR! :D :D :D Thanks for being amazing! :D I don't know how long this is going to go. Possibly over 35 chapters. I'm not so sure, though. :) Thanks for the review! I love reviews! They keep me writing. :D :D :D**

* * *

A mother never forgets.

Those few words were what Valka had said to her son, and to her daughter, the day they met for the first time in twenty years. Valka had never expected she would see Heather again, much less with Hiccup standing by her side, telling her to get behind him, protecting her like any caring brother would do for his sister.

Her children, no longer the babes she remembered them to be. The last time she saw Heather was right before they were attacked by the mysterious tribe, the night Heather was taken from Berk to live amongst her kidnappers.

The last time she saw Hiccup was during the dragon raid, the night she was taken by Cloudjumper. The last time she saw Hiccup, he was so young, his eyes green and wide. The last time she saw Hiccup, he was crying.

The last time she saw Hiccup, he had both his legs.

When she saw Hiccup and Heather for the first time in twenty years, she really hadn't recognized them. They were twins, and yet, Heather had black hair, and Hiccup's hair was russet. The only thing they had in common was their eyes: their deep green, intelligent, analyzing eyes, taking in every detail possible, assessing their surroundings as if they'd practiced doing it for years.

Connecting with her children hadn't been specifically easy, but she supposed it came naturally. Once Hiccup and Heather realized the truth and had their questions answered, they really couldn't wait to show her everything they had worked on; the little steps they had taken in their lives.

Showing off, even. Like a child who achieved something they had been working at for so long: _Look, Mom, I did it! I did it, Mom, look!_

Her children were twenty by age, and yet, she had a hard time believing it. They had grown up, both of them, into young adults who took care of themselves, and took care of each other at the same time.

The battle had been won in Berk's favor…

Yet, no one was celebrating.

Drago was dead, gone forever, never to return and haunt the lives of the future generations…

But no one cheered.

How could they, in a situation like the one their newly appointed Chief was in?

Valka still could hardly process what she had watched, not even very long ago. The battle against Drago, after her son ended the madman's life, and after the new Alpha of the dragons had risen, the giant spikes of ice still remained.

One of them almost crushed Astrid.

Almost.

The only reason it didn't, was because of Hiccup.

Valka had been trying to drill it into Hiccup's head: _We must protect our own_ , and she was pretty certain Stoick was trying to tell Hiccup the same thing. She knew the greatest Chief saying on Berk was "A Chief protects his own", and since Hiccup was the Chief's son, he'd probably heard it a lot throughout his life.

He'd seemed to ignore her when she'd told him.

She didn't think Hiccup had listened to Stoick.

And yet, when it finally came down to it, Hiccup _did_ protect his own. He protected the ones he cared about. He saved Astrid's life when he shoved her out of the way of that giant spike of ice.

But at what cost was the real question.

Because so far, Hiccup was not improving. By shoving Astrid, he had put himself where she once stood, and without any time to save himself, he had become the one the ice had fell on top of.

His condition was spiralling downhill, and Valka knew it. She tried to be strong for the sake of Heather and Astrid, who always asked her for updates on Hiccup. She tried to be stoic, as her husband had been, but that was hard. It was hard, not to display her emotion in front of her daughter and Astrid, especially when Astrid was sobbing over Hiccup's body, and Heather was standing off to the side, looking very much like she would join Astrid any moment.

Valka thought that, being a mother, it was her job to protect her children, and yet, she hadn't been able to protect Hiccup. She knew blaming herself for him getting hurt probably wasn't the right thing to do, but she couldn't help it. She should have been there to save him. She didn't know how she would have done it, but maybe...maybe there was a way.

Maybe she could have directed one of the dragons to blast the spike of ice before it even hit its mark. Maybe she could have…

She didn't know what there was for her to do in that situation. It all happened so fast. No one had time to react or do anything. She could have told a dragon to blast it, as soon as she saw it falling towards Astrid, but no one had done anything.

The only person who actually moved was Hiccup, a man of action to his last breath. He'd saved Astrid, and Valka knew that.

He'd saved her, quite possibly at the cost of his own life. If he didn't start recovering soon…

There was no positive way to finish that thought.

She walked back to her house, a small bottle of herbs held in her hands. The smooth glass tingled her fingertips, and she couldn't help but sigh. Gothi didn't have anything that would help Hiccup's pain, so she gave Valka something to keep his fever down and help him sleep.

She couldn't believe they were in this situation. It was no surprise no one was celebrating.

On her way back, she passed Eret, who greeted her with a small, "Evening," before continuing on his way. Valka continued on her own way as well, towards the Haddock residence.

When she arrived, Heather and Astrid were both upstairs, like they usually were. Astrid was sitting on the edge of the bed, Hiccup's hand clasped in her own. Valka understood the girl's worries; she didn't want to leave Hiccup's side, either.

Heather was standing behind Astrid, her eyes concerned with a touch of another emotion Valka couldn't decipher. She had only known Heather for a few days; the girl was hard to read.

And Hiccup...oh, her poor Hiccup...he was so pale, lying so still, his cheeks flushed a deep, unhealthy shade of red. He wasn't completely still; no, he was shivering, despite the thick blanket pulled over his body in the attempt to keep him at least warm. Except, they were torn between stripping the blanket off and throwing another one on. He was still feverish, and his fever wasn't going down.

It wasn't really going up; it was holding at an unhealthy, high temperature. If it got much higher, it would peak, and who knew what would happen after that.

Astrid lifted her head to look at Valka. Her eyes were concerned, yet with dark, bruise like circles beneath them that simply served to show Valka how exhausted the girl was. When she looked back at Heather, she saw the same dark rings beneath her daughter's eyes as well.

"Heather," Valka said, "why don't you and Astrid go get some sleep for a bit?" She knew they wouldn't want to leave Hiccup's side, but she also knew they needed to rest, or they would end up making themselves sick.

Besides...Valka needed some time alone to process these events.

Astrid's head shot up in her direction, and she shook her head back and forth violently. "No," she said. "No, I-I want to stay. I'll be fine." Astrid held Hiccup's hand even tighter, almost protectively.

Heather stood back from the wall, straightening her stiff posture. "Astrid-" the girl tried, but Astrid simply shook her head again, this time more firmly.

"I'm not leaving him," Astrid said, "and nothing you say is going to make me."

Valka was about to protest, but there wasn't anything she could say. She had known Astrid for even a shorter time than she'd known Hiccup and Heather, but she had learned that the girl was more stubborn than Valka imagined.

Arguing with Astrid was pointless, and Valka knew that much.

Luckily for her, she didn't even have to say anything. Heather took another step forward and sighed. "Hiccup wouldn't want you to sleep deprive yourself," she said.

That was something Astrid couldn't argue with. She opened her mouth to a couple times, and then always ended up shutting it in the end. There wasn't anything for her to say now. She couldn't deny Heather, because Heather was right.

"Besides," Heather said, "neither of us are good to him if we're exhausted. We'll be back in the morning, first thing, alright?"

Valka could hear the reluctance in Heather's voice, although she said nothing out loud about it. No need to make it any harder than it already was.

At long last, Astrid nodded slowly. She released Hiccup's hand, stood, and kissed his forehead, just barely above his hairline. "First thing," she said, her voice barely rising above a whisper. She was speaking to Hiccup, even though he couldn't hear her. "I'll be back _first thing_ , alright? Just hang in there."

She left reluctantly, trailed by Heather, who gave her mother a quick "Night, see you in the morning," before following Astrid out.

Valka sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed, slowly reaching out towards her son. She still hardly knew him; she didn't know what to do. A mother never forgot, but that didn't mean she wasn't out of practice. She didn't remember what it was like to be a mother, and it made her feel useless.

Tentatively, she tangled her fingers in Hiccup's soft yet sweaty hair. Hiccup shifted, and she was about to withdraw her hand, but then, Hiccup leaned into her touch, his pained features smoothing out as he relaxed.

Well, maybe she wasn't _completely_ useless, she thought. With slightly more confidence, she ran her fingers through his hair gently, trying to avoid all contact with his head. He had a concussion; she didn't want to put him in any more unnecessary pain.

He shouldn't have been in any pain at all. No one deserved to be in so much pain, least of all Hiccup. Well, Drago would have deserved to be in pain, but no one else besides him. Valka was glad Drago was gone, and she was proud of her son.

She hoped she got a chance to tell him that.

Hiccup shifted again, only this time, he tensed, his shoulders going rigid. A moan of pain scraped through his throat, and the sound broke his mother's heart. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to help him, to soothe him, to ease his pain in some way, but she didn't know how.

So, she did the only thing she knew how to do.

Be a mother.

She didn't remember much...but a mother never forgets. She remembered the nights, after Heather was taken, when Stoick and Valka would both grieve while trying not to distress Hiccup. He was too young to understand what had happened to his sister. He was too young to remember his sister when he grew up.

Faint memories of the past came back to her. "Shh, it's alright, Hiccup," she whispered. "Everything's alright." She knew that _nothing_ was "alright", but she wasn't going to tell him that.

She didn't even know if he could hear her at all.

Hiccup murmured incoherently and leaned into her hand again. He remained like that for a few moments, and then, slowly, almost painfully slowly, his eyes flickered and opened.

They were red, exhausted, and watery, glazed over and glassy due to his high fever. He blinked blearily as if not seeing properly.

Poor thing. Her poor, poor Hiccup.

"Mom," he rasped, his voice quiet, and her heart broke just a little more, especially when he started coughing, turning his head away from her weakly. She rubbed his shoulder gently when his coughing continued; his muscles were tense, and they were spasming, no doubt to the pain coughing brought on him.

"Shh, easy, easy," she coaxed. "Easy, Hiccup, easy…" She was speaking to him the same way she would often speak to a spooked, wounded dragon, her voice quiet, gentle and soft, posing as no threat.

At length, his coughing finally stopped, leaving every gasping breath he took wheezy and raspy. Valka kept massaging his shoulder, even after his choking fit came to an end.

"There you go, that's it," Valka whispered. "Do you need anything? Water, maybe?"

Hiccup shook his head. Valka sighed. She would have to get him to drink something later. She wasn't about to let him start getting dehydrated.

"Alright," Valka said. "Alright, I won't force you. If you change your mind, don't be afraid to tell me, alright?"

Hiccup nodded. "Where's…" He coughed once and swallowed. "Where's Astrid?"

"She went to get some rest, as did Heather," Valka answered. She knew he would ask about Astrid's location sooner or later. After all, she and Hiccup were close, from what Valka heard and saw.

Hiccup nodded again, although he looked disappointed. "Y-you…" He paused to cough yet again. "You d-don't...have to stay...if you don't want to…"

She knew what he was trying to do. She knew, because Stoick used to do the same thing. Hiccup was trying to hide his pain from her. He was trying to get rid of her fear by hiding his pain. She understood that. He didn't want to worry anyone. He didn't want to be pitied or fussed over. He didn't want to be a burden.

Valka understood that, really, she did.  
But at the same time…

Her _poor baby_ …

How could she _not_ fuss over him or worry about him? He was twenty by age, but he was still her little baby. He was still her little Hiccup, and she knew she would always see him that way, no matter how old he got.

"I'm staying, son," she promised. She thought about that: did he like being called "son" by her, or did he prefer Hiccup? Or did he prefer "son"? She didn't know, and it wasn't important enough to ask. If he didn't want to be called "son" by her, he would probably tell her.

Except, she couldn't help but notice how he relaxed the instant she finished speaking. His features went slack, his head lolling against her hand.

"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely, and before she could even respond, he was sleeping again, snoring softly. His breath was wheezy, but for the most part, it was even and deep.

Valka stayed with him throughout the entire night, and he slept soundly for the most part. Astrid arrived back the next morning, saying that Heather was still resting and would most likely be back a little later on.

A mother never _truly_ forgot how to be a mother, sure.

But maybe it was time she learned how to be a _good_ mother.

And better yet, a _great_ one.

* * *

 **OKAY GUYS, I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION! PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, BECAUSE IT WILL DETERMINE THE RESULT:**

 **OKAY.**

 **If by some chance Hiccup DOES survive...**

 **DO YOU GUYS WANT A WEDDING SCENE?** **I REPEAT, DO YOU GUYS WANT A WEDDING SCENE FOR HICCUP AND ASTRID?**

 **That would be all! Let me know what you think! :D See you all next chapter!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you all for letting me know what you think about the Hiccstrid wedding subject! Due to all the people who want a wedding, I have decided that if Hiccup lives, there WILL be a wedding! :D If he doesn't live, there WILL be a funeral. Shout-outs:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: I think I am going to have Stoick visit Hiccup in "Dream Land." XD**

 **marine1324: Makes you wonder, huh. Knowing Hiccup, he probably will have some sort of regret, although I don't know if I'll write a chapter about that regret or not.**

 **thearizona: I'd probably have a lot of fun writing a wedding scene...if I don't end up writing a funeral instead.**

 **Ultimateblack: I'm going to do my research. I already know a bit about Viking weddings; just not everything. If I do write a wedding scene, it probably won't be super, super detailed, but you know, detailed enough to paint a beautiful picture and help the readers imagine the scene with perfection in their head. I don't watch History Channel. I like the Vikings from HTTYD. :D**

 **LiviLovesDragons: I am very mean, leaving you guys in suspense like that. A wedding scene would be fun to write...but so would a funeral...hmmmm...**

 **acw28: Yeah, I can see that. :)**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yeah, Hiccup and Astrid _do_ deserve something wonderful...especially after all that I'm putting them through. I should try Rise of Berk sometime. It sounds fun. :) **

**HappyPup1: Gee, I wonder if HappyPup1 wants a wedding scene. XD**

 **DannyPhantomSamManson4eva: Wedding scene, aye? Lemme think about it...**

 **Letstellstorys014: So far, it looks like everyone wants a wedding...so let me think about it. I might just consider it. :) I'm glad you like the story! And yeah, Hiccup and Astrid deserve something nice after all this pain I've put them through.**

 **Dancing on Dragon Wings: Thanks for your input! I'm still thinking about it. :)**

 **The Omega Supreme Wolf: Writing a wedding scene would be fun. I'm still deciding whether or not to kill Hiccup, even though I'm kind of leaning towards one of the options. I will not tell you which. :) Thanks for reviewing, and thanks for the compliment! :D**

 **WikiSorcerer: Writing a wedding scene would be pretty fun! I DON'T KNOW WHY ARE WE YELLING!? DO YOU KNOW WHY WE'RE YELLING!? IT'S BECAUSE WE LOVE HICCSTRID AND WANT A WEDDING! XD**

 **Guest: Everyone wants a wedding! :D**

 **neobendium: Hiccstrid adorableness is always the best! Let's hope we get a wedding and not a funeral. I LOVE HICCSTRID!**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: Toothless makes his appearance a little later on. At the moment, he's been appointed the new Alpha dragon, and if you can imagine, it's a pretty big job, especially with all the new dragons from Valka's nest. So yes, he will be with Hiccup a little later on. :) Thanks for reviewing, and thanks for letting me know what you think about the wedding! I don't know whether or not I'll do it quite yet, though. :) Thanks for the review! You are amazing! :D**

 **Silver Electricity: THE STORE HAS RUN OUT OF SUPERGLUE WE ARE IN TROUBLE HELP! HELP!**

 **KatPrincess01: So far, everyone seems to want a Hiccstrid wedding. Everyone's votes are being considered. :D**

 **blackbluebudgie: HICCSTRID HICCSTRID, OY OY OY! :D**

 **Omegaman17: HICCSTRID WEDDING! :D Everyone wants a Hiccstrid wedding so far! And I don't blame them, because I kinda want to write a Hiccstrid wedding scene...ah. The more I picture it, the more I want to write it. *gives you another glass vase* It's okay, my dragon breaks things when she's mad at me. Like she is now...oh boy. Excuse me, I need to go buy a new television set. XD**

 **AVC03: I'm glad you love the story! Thanks for saying that! :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: "Oh, Hiccup is slowly dying, and Astrid is still crying, but there might be a wedding you know. Make it so, make it so, make it so!" :D (Tune to "Let it Snow")**

 **Sadielover1470: Alright! I'll take your suggestion into consideration! :D Thanks! :D**

 **AlphaSwaggy: That's a little creepy. XD**

 **ParagonNight666: I did a little research on Viking weddings, but I didn't really get much out of it. If you could explain it for me in a PM or what not, that would be amazing! I'll give you a shout-out in the wedding chapter if I so choose that there will be a wedding. :D Imperfect Harmony was a great episode! :D So fun! :D**

 **IonitaMircea32: Oh yeah, "The Hounds of Baskerville" really freaked me out big time. It was actually the first episode of BBC Sherlock I ever saw, and it was SSSPPPOOOKKKKYYY! But I loved it, like I love all of the Sherlock Holmes episodes and adventures. :D Thanks! I love writing mother/son bonding. :)**

 **XXCadet-X-SeineraXX: If Hiccup survives, I think there will be a wedding. :D**

 **Markiplier is My Senpai: Alright! There are so many people who want a wedding scene. If Hiccup survives, I'll write it. :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Hahahaha! Dream come true! :D**

* * *

 _There was a hazy swirl of colors. The colors were blurred and smothered together, so it looked like different colored face paint splattered randomly against a white surface. Nothing was distinguishable. The most distinguishable colors were blue, red, white, and black. The rest were odd combinations he had never seen before._

 _When it finally came into focus, the scene before him was still blurry, but he could make out the shapes of people, and hear distant shouts._

 _Then, he saw Astrid standing, a smile on her face, her eyes bright, like they always were. She looked content, excited, and all around happy, her braided hair draped over her shoulder, her axe sheathed at her waist._

 _But then, the good feeling Hiccup had previously felt was gone, replaced by an odd feeling of...wrongness. Something was wrong; something he couldn't put his finger on._

 _Something bad was about to happen, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop it. He didn't know how he knew, but the fact was that he did. Then, he saw it: a spike of ice rolling off the roof, straight towards Astrid._

 _Suddenly, he remembered. This was a memory, right? He'd seen it happen before, and he'd saved Astrid then. He could start running and save her again, just like he did the first time. He would make it; he would shove her, and take the ice on himself. He could do it, and he didn't mind doing it._

 _Just so long as Astrid was alright._

 _But then, as he tried to run towards her, he found that he couldn't move at all. That was weird...he was supposed to be able to move. He had to move. He had to get to Astrid. He had to get to her. He had to. He had so many things he wanted to tell her...so, so many things he had to say._

 _He had to_ save her _, and it was now or never._

 _But..._

 _He tried to scream, but he couldn't find his voice. He couldn't move; his legs felt frozen. He tried to run, tried to shout, tried to warn her or shove her, before it was too late…_

 _Too late._

 _The ice came down on top of Astrid, crushing her beneath it in one instant, and all Hiccup could do was watch in horror._

…

"He's convulsing…" Astrid whispered. The girl had arrived only minutes before, and almost as soon as she returned, the moaning started. Hiccup groaned in his sleep and cried out as if in pain (which he probably was, no thanks to his broken ribs, concussion, and broken arm) the entire time.

Valka nodded worriedly, her lips pressed together in a thin line. "His body's trying to mend itself," she explained quietly and rather halfheartedly. "He's fighting, Astrid, but that's also the cause of his pain."

Astrid felt terrible, and more than that, she felt helpless. She couldn't stand feeling helpless, especially when it came to Hiccup being in pain. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked Valka, hating how pleading her voice sounded.

"Just keep his fever down," Valka answered. "Gothi is looking for herbs to help the pain, but until then, there's nothing else to be done."

Astrid hated this. She hated watching Hiccup in pain without being able to stop his pain. She hated just sitting by his bedside, wishing there was something she could do when she knew there wasn't.

"Ast...Astrid…" Hiccup moaned. A spasm of pain contorted his face, and he whimpered.

It was bad enough watching him moan incoherently and toss his head against his pain. But hearing his weak, desperate, pleading voice? That just killed her.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, calm down," she whispered gently. "I'm here. I'm right here." She didn't know what to do. She really, honestly, didn't know what to do. Her friend...well, not just friend anymore. _Betrothed,_ was in pain, and she didn't know what to do about it. She felt worthless; useless, if you would, as she watched Hiccup suffer through this.

This was torturing her almost as much as the pain was torturing Hiccup. She knew there was nothing to be done, and she felt beyond terrible by the fact. She put her hand on Hiccup's cheek, and he leaned his face into her palm.

That simple movement seemed to snap her heart straight in two. Her breath caught in her throat; breathing became difficult. Her chest ached as though someone were plunging a dagger straight through it, piercing her heart, but not killing her.

It hurt. Watching Hiccup in this state hurt _so bad._ It pulled her heartstrings to breaking point and toyed with her emotions. She hardly ever cried openly; she normally _never_ cried openly, and when she did, it was only when she was surrounded by people (namely Hiccup) who knew her and cared for her and didn't care whether she was weak or strong and would never see her weaker if she cried or stronger if she hid her tears.

Hiccup.

The only person in the world who ever did all of those things. He loved her; he'd told her more than once, and he made sure she never forgot it. She always told him she loved him back, but now, she was regretting the simpleness of what she had said.

 _I love you,_ he'd say.

 _I love you too_ , she'd reply, but what she really should have said was _I love you so much and I could never live without you. You're kind and sweet and bright and you light up my life, and I never know how I ever got along without you before. I can't get along without you, I know that now, so I want you to know that I love you no matter what happens and I will always love you even if you stop loving me back._

Not that he would ever stop loving her back, of course, but it seemed more powerful; more real, if she were to add those last few words.

She never actually got to tell him just how much he meant to her. She, quite honestly, didn't know how to put it into words. She could try, but she knew she would fail, in the end. She couldn't express how much Hiccup meant to her. He meant so, so, so, so, so, so much to her, and wasn't that just the underestimate of the year.

She didn't think she would ever be able to live without him. She didn't know what she would do if he weren't to survive his injuries. She didn't know what she would do. She tried to think of what she would do, but it was impossible. One hundred percent impossible.

Because she couldn't do it.

She couldn't imagine life without Hiccup.

And then there were the bruises on his neck from when Drago had practically strangled him - not once, but twice. Once when they were on the ship, and once again right before Drago's death. Astrid had come close to losing Hiccup so many times in the past.

Would this finally be the time Hiccup played cat-and-mouse with death and lost?

She heard the sound of the front door creaking open, followed by light, barely hearable footsteps; Heather walked into the doorway, pausing as soon as she climbed the last step. The metal plates of Heather's armored skirt slid against each other in quiet _shack-shacks._ The girl's braid was coming loose, strands of black hair hanging in her face and dangling over her eyes like the branches of a willow tree.

Despite her untidy appearance and sloppy posture, Heather's green eyes (the same exact colored eyes Hiccup had) were bright and aware, full of concern melted with anger.

Anger towards Hiccup getting hurt in the first place, Astrid assumed. It was a careless way for Hiccup to be so gravely injured. If Astrid had just been more careful...if she had just moved out of the way of that giant ice spike, before Hiccup had to rush to her side and push her out of the way...if only...if only…

There was no point of "if onlys" now, because it was already set in stone. Astrid couldn't go back and change what happened, so regrets were pointless.

"How's he doing?" Heather asked, never moving from her position in the doorway.

Valka lifted her head and nodded in Heather's reaction to acknowledge her daughter's presence. "There's no improvement," she said.

She didn't say what Astrid was thinking: Hiccup's health was deteriorating. It was caving in like some sort of freak rock slide. Chances of survival were dwindling into single digits now.

Heather nodded silently, her already slumped shoulders going even more slack as if they had been suddenly deboned. She glanced at her brother, and then shifted her gaze to Astrid. "How're you holding up?" she asked.

Astrid shook her head. "As well as anyone."

Heather nodded.

Astrid wanted to say more, but she couldn't. Since Hiccup was injured, she and Valka had gotten closer, both of them working to keep Hiccup from growing even worse although their attempts were mostly in vain, in the end, because nothing was working.

Astrid thought about telling them. She thought about telling Heather and Valka about her and Hiccup being engaged now, but she wasn't so sure what either of them would think. She thought that maybe, it would end up making both Heather and Valka feel worse in the end.

After all…

Hiccup could _still_ die.

Heather approached slowly, her footsteps making hollow thumps against the wooden floor of the loft. "Astrid," she began, "what did Hiccup give you, earlier? Before he…" She froze and bowed her head, shaking it while she did. "You know."

Well, it looked like Astrid didn't have the choice either way. "I…" She tried finding the words, but it wasn't working as well as she had anticipated. So, instead of actually saying anything, she reached into the pouch set at her belt, and slowly pulled out the ring.

Astrid watched as Heather's eyes widened. The Chief of Berserk's face went from concerned to shocked in a matter of an instant. Astrid could tell she wasn't mad: stunned and shocked was more like it. Unable to find the words was also another way to describe the way the girl looked. "Oh my Thor," Heather whispered.

That just about described their situation.

Behind them, Valka gasped, and when Astrid looked, she saw that Valka was covering her mouth with both her hands, silent tears building up in her eyes. "Oh…" was all Valka said, and even then, the woman looked as though she wanted to say something more and simply didn't know what to say.

Astrid didn't blame her. She didn't know what to say, really, either.

"Excuse me," Valka finally said, and as soon as she said it, she began making her way downstairs. Astrid wasn't sure, but she could have been certain she heard her sob as she walked.

There was a _creak_ , and a _click_ as the door opened and shut, declaring Valka's departure. Heather still looked too stunned to move.

"You mean...you mean you two…" Hiccup's sister pointed at Astrid, and then moved her finger towards her unconscious brother. Astrid nodded silently, not trusting herself to speak without bursting into tears all over again.

"How do you feel about it?" Astrid finally managed to get out, speaking quickly as to get the question over with.

Heather's eyes remained wide. "I...I guess...I always expected this to happen someday," she said. "I always...I always figured he would propose to you...I knew it was just a matter of time, but...I didn't expect it to...to…"

"Happen like this?" Astrid offered when Heather's voice trailed off.

Heather nodded. " _Never_ like this," she confirmed.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them for just a few moments. Then, Heather rose to her feet again and made for the door.

"I'll be back," Heather said. "I need to talk to Mom."

Astrid nodded. She understood that; she knew Heather would want to speak with Valka, especially after this new discovery. As soon as Heather caught the movement of Astrid's head, the raven haired girl made her way down the stairs, and out the front door.


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey guys! :D How's it going? I'm going good. Busy today, so I might not get another chapter out today. I wanted to say, I'm going to try and finish this hopefully by September 5th, and I will return from my hiatus on October 5th. I will be doing my first fanfiction anniversary special (September 12th) hopefully, and then probably a Halloween special on Halloween. :)**

 **So, yeah. :)And guess what? My stupid email isn't working...AGAIN. But I will say that I am always blown away by your guys' reviews! They mean a lot to me, really, they do. They make my day BIG TIME. :D So yeah, that's basically it. I don't know how to thank you guys enough, honestly. I love you guys! :D Enjoy chapter 32! :D**

* * *

Heather honestly didn't know what to think about the whole "Hiccup and Astrid being betrothed" gizmo, but she had always been expecting it would happen sooner or later, so honestly, it didn't come as a huge shock.

The main shock came from their situation. Hiccup could still die, and it might be worse now, if possible, with him and Astrid being engaged. If Hiccup wasn't to pull through, Heather didn't want to think about what would become of Astrid. Who knew what the Hofferson girl would do.

She found Valka outside, and she approached her mother slowly, not knowing exactly what to say. Valka just learned that her son was engaged, and at the same time, he was hurt, sick, and dying.

Heather cleared her throat, and she watched as Valka straightened her posture and slowly turned to look at her. Heather could see the tears in Valka's eyes, along with a few that were cascading down her face.

"Mom," Heather began slowly. "I...I don't…" She didn't know what to say, but saying that sounded lame. Saying "I don't know what to say" made Heather feel careless.

Luckily, she didn't even have to say anything, because the next thing she knew, her mother had her in her arms, and Heather didn't protest. If anything, she hugged her mother back tightly and stayed there for a long time.

She didn't hardly even know her mother, and yet, she felt safety in the woman's arms. She didn't know why; all she knew was that she did. She supposed they both needed some sort of support at the moment.

At length, Valka pulled back. "I can't...I can't lose Hiccup, Heather," Valka whispered, and she said it as though the reality of their situation was catching up to her. "I lost you once, all those years ago, and losing your father was hard enough...but I don't think...I don't think I would be able to stand losing Hiccup...especially not now…"

Heather understood that. She did, she really, honestly did. "Mom…" But that still didn't mean she knew what to _say_. "Hiccup will be fine," Heather said. "He's strong, he'll pull through this. He's been through worse than this and survived. He'll be alright."

Heather didn't know if she was lying or not. She hoped she wasn't, but there was no way for her to know…

At least not until Gothi's news on Hiccup became more positive.

In the end, Valka nodded shakily, although it was clear she was uncertain and halfhearted. "I hope you're right, Heather," she whispered.

Heather nodded. She hoped she was right, too.

...

Pain. All he knew was pain. White, hot, defining pain, settling in his ribs, arm, and head. He shifted against it, but it only made everything worse. Stars danced in front of his closed eyes, and he saw them in his mind's eye. Pain flared in his head all over again, and he tried desperately not to cry out.

He tried, and he failed all the same. He moaned hoarsely, but that only made his ribs ache. He tried to take a deep breath, but the burning white pain spread through his ribs. He wanted to scream, but just breathing was hard enough without wasting air. He tried to focus on something else; anything else, besides his pounding head and throbbing ribs, but it didn't work.

It didn't work _at all_.

"Hiccup...Hiccup, can you hear me?"

He didn't want to reply. He heard the voice, and more than that, he recognized the voice: Astrid's voice, calling to him, questioning him. Part of him wanted to answer. The other part of him knew the pain speaking would put him through. Moaning was bad enough; actually using his vocal chords and answering questions would be even worse.

So, in the end, he didn't do anything. He focused on breathing; deep breath in, ignore pain in ribs, deep breath out, ignore pain in head, deep breath in, keep breathing, don't stop breathing, try not to moan, moan makes breathing hard-

He breathed in deeply, his throat dried out, and he coughed. That one single solitary cough rattled his lungs and made him cry out in pain again. They jarred his ribs, and when he shouted in pain, he made the mistake of shifting again.

Everything was pain. Everything he knew was pain. Moving was pain. Breathing was pain. Thinking was pain. Moaning was pain. When he moaned in pain, his pain increased, and he moaned again, but the moaning was making the pain worse, which made him moan more, which only increased the level of pain in his ribs and lungs and head.

 _Stop,_ he pleaded desperately, although he didn't speak. He wanted it to stop. He wanted the pain to go, even for a minute. _Please stop, please stop, ow, oww, stop it...ow...please...stop, it hurts...it hurts, stop…_

"Shh, Hiccup, it's okay. It's okay. Shh…" There was that voice again, only this time, there were cold hands against his face, palms flattened on his cheeks. It was then he realized how hot he felt; had the room always felt that warm? Or maybe it was him. He felt like he was on fire, and it wasn't because of his pain. He felt as though he were burning from the inside out.

Fever?

What was going on?

"Hiccup, calm down...breathe…it's okay...I'm right here, Hiccup. Right here. Take a breath...breathe..."

Oh, yeah, he'd forgotten to breathe at some point in the midst of his pain. He sucked in as deep as a breath as was possible. Terrible idea, because the breath expanded his lungs and shot a new flare of pain through his ribs. He swallowed hard, exhaled, and took in another deep breath.

The breath made him start coughing. The coughs made his ribs throb and his chest ache. His head was pounding now as though someone were smashing a hammer against it constantly.

But at least he was breathing now.

That was at least good, he supposed, but it did nothing to help his pain. He breathed as shallowly as possible, trying not to expand his lungs and cause further pain to his already burning ribs. He wanted it to end. He wanted it to be done. He didn't want to be in pain. His heart was pounding against his chest, and he could hear each beat in his ears. His head pounded to the beat of his heart, and no amount of anything stopped it.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Astrid's soft, soothing voice whispered. "Calm down. Take it easy. It's okay...it'll be okay...shhhh…"

He wanted to listen to her. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to be whisked away from his pain and into a world of sleep. He wanted to rest, but he knew resting wasn't going to work right now. His pain was growing. He felt so, so, so tired, but his ribs hurt too much to sleep. He felt sick and weak. His head...oh, oh, his head…

He moaned again.

"Hiccup, can you hear me? Hiccup...babe, please say something…"

Astrid's voice sounded so desperate; so concerned; so scared; so pleading. Hiccup couldn't stand to hear Astrid's voice like that. He simply couldn't stand it. He had to do something. He had to say something. He had to let her know he was alright although he clearly was anything _but_ alright.

"As…" he took a short, gasp of breath and continued. His voice cracked multiple times. "Astrid…" he slurred. His tongue felt too thick for his mouth, and his throat felt sliced to ribbons just by that one, small word.

But it was worth it when he heard Astrid's sigh of relief. "It's okay, it's okay!" she promised. "It's okay, I'm here!"

He wanted to believe her. He wanted to smile and tell her that he knew it would be okay, and that he would be fine, but he didn't know what would happen, and he didn't think he _could_ smile with the amount of pain he was in right now.

"Don't go back to sleep yet!" Astrid begged; once again, in a pleading voice, and Hiccup couldn't say no to her wishes. Besides, sleeping was useless. Astrid's cool, gentle hands pressed against his forehead; he must have had a higher fever than he originally thought, if Astrid kept checking his temperature like this. "Can you open your eyes, Hiccup?"

Hiccup didn't _want_ to open his eyes...but he didn't want to worry Astrid. So slowly, ever so slowly, he cracked his eyes open and glanced up at her blearily.

Everything was fuzzy and blurry. When his vision finally came into focus, the first thing he saw was Astrid leaning over him, her blue eyes flooded with panic, her lips curved into a concerned frown. His head was resting in her lap, and for how long he'd been in that position, he didn't know.

Astrid smiled faintly when she met his eyes, and the smile just barely reached her eyes. "Hiccup," she said, almost giddily. "You're okay. It's okay, it's alright, I'm here...I've gotcha…"

The chant was comforting, but not too comforting. He was still in pain, and he still felt weak and sick. "Astrid," he croaked out again.

Astrid nodded. "Yeah," she said. "The one and only."

Hiccup swallowed. Pain surged through his ribs again, and he was forced to shut his eyes tightly, trying desperately not to cry out although his efforts proved to be in vain.

"Oh, Hiccup!" Her shrill voice was making it even harder for Hiccup to ignore his pain, but he found he wasn't able to protest. "What is it, what's wrong!?"

"H...hurts…" Hiccup choked. Why did it hurt so bad? Why were his ribs burning so horribly? Why was his head pounding? Why did the room feel as though it were being roasted? Why did _Hiccup_ feel as though _he_ were being roasted over an open flame?

"I know, I know it hurts!" Astrid's voice was full of panic, and this time, Hiccup didn't even bother trying to make her stop worrying. Maybe worrying was alright now. Maybe she was right to worry. "Just hang in there!"

Another fierce, stabbing pain jolted his body.

He jerked against it, but that was probably the worst idea he'd ever had, because it awakened a new, unbearable pain in his chest. He thrashed weakly as if he could somehow escape the clutches of pain, but whenever he tried to escape, the clawing arms grew tighter, dragging him back under, and even deeper than he'd been previously.

Astrid shouting.

Pain.

More pain.

Hands against his face.

Pain.

 _Stop it, stop it, stop it, please…_

His head ached.

He forgot to breathe again.

Coughing.

Gasping.

Pain.

Pain.

Pain.

 _Stop, it hurts. Stop it, stop it, please stop it, help._

"Hiccup, hang on!"

 _Help, please…_

"Don't you dare give up!"

 _It would be so much easier…_

Pain.

Pounding.

Gasping.

Moaning.

 _It hurts it hurts it hurts so bad…_

"H-hang on, Hiccup! I'm going to get help!"

 _No, don't leave! Don't go! I'm scared!_

Pain.

Thrashing.

Screaming.

"Calm down! Relax!"

 _I can't relax it hurts._

The hands against his face disappeared, and he heard footsteps over the pounding in his head, and his throbbing heartbeat. He heard the door creak open and slam. Pain shot across his ribs again, racing through his body like a bolt of lightning.

Then, suddenly, he heard a voice he never thought he would ever hear again. A deep, calming voice, thickly accented and soothing all the same.

 _"Hiccup."_

Hiccup didn't know where the voice was coming from, but he couldn't bring himself to care, because he recognized the voice.

His father.

But his father was dead…

Hiccup didn't care, because right now, he was scared and sick and in pain and he just wanted someone familiar with him, and since Astrid had left to get help, he didn't know when she would return…

"...D-Dad…" he croaked hoarsely. He tried opening his eyes, but his lids felt like led. Breathing was hard enough without opening his eyes, so in the end, he settled for lying there, listening intently.

 _"Be strong, Hiccup,"_ his father's voice said again. _"Your time has not yet come, son. Fight through this."_

Hiccup didn't feel as though he could fight anymore, but he didn't question his father. He felt too tired to. He thought he was going insane; maybe he was losing his mind.

Or maybe he really _was_ dying…

"Dad," he whispered again.

 _"Take care of your mother. Look after Heather. Chief Berk. Protect your people. It is your destiny."_

Hiccup tried to say something, but he found that he couldn't. He couldn't speak. He couldn't even remain conscious. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt this overwhelming feeling of exhaustion.

 _"I love you, son."_

 _I love you too, Dad…_


	33. Chapter 33

**Okay, guys. I'm really tired right now. This chapter took a long time to write, really, it did, and it isn't hard to see why...OVER 5,000 DIDDLY DARN WORDS, GUYS! I have to say that this is the longest chapter I've ever posted in any story ever (not including my one-shots, of course). YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!**

 **My head hurts. Darn. :/ Took a long time to write this chapter out, and it's pretty intense...my email hates me. I hope you don't mind if I wait to do shout-outs until the next chapter? Sorry, it's just, right now, I really think I should get off the computer. Haha. Headache...blast. :D So, I wanted to get the chapter out, because I was so excited to hear what you guys thought about it, and...so...yeah. My email isn't working, and even if it was, shout-outs would probably take me an hour to write with how I'm feeling, so...so...yeah. I didn't want to make you guys wait until tomorrow afternoon to read this chapter. So...**

 **Yep. Enough about me! I'm fine! I'll get some water and chill out for the rest of the evening. :) Love you guys! I really do! :) I hope you enjoy chapter 33! I put a lot of effort into it. :D Enjoy! :D Thanks for all the reviews last chapter!**

* * *

Astrid remained with Hiccup while Valka and Heather stepped outside. Hiccup began tossing his head, soft, gentle, pain filled moans escaping his lips. Astrid's heart was breaking for him over and over and over again, every time he whimpered or whined in his sleep.

Slowly, she lifted his head and slid behind him, resting his skull in her lap, ever so carefully, mindful of his concussion. He moaned again, but found herself at a loss of what else to do.

Feeling helpless, she moved his hair out of his face and whispered, "Hiccup...Hiccup, can you hear me?"

He didn't reply, and she didn't expect him to. Maybe he could hear her, who knew? She didn't. Maybe he couldn't speak. He was in a lot of pain, after all. He took in a deep breath, his chest heaving, but then, he coughed. The cough was ragged and painful sounding.

As soon as he coughed, he cried out in pain and thrashed weakly, although thrashing just made him moan even more and cry out again.

Astrid couldn't stand this. She couldn't stand watching him in so, so much pain. Watching him like this was making her feel as though someone were plunging a sword into her chest. Everytime he moaned, she felt as though the sword was being turned and jerked around in her chest.

Her heart ached in a way she didn't know was possible. "Shh, Hiccup, it's okay. It's okay. Shh…" she whispered, although that was all she knew how to do. She knew he had a high fever...maybe the heat was making it hard for him to rest. She flattened her hands against his cheeks.

His skin was so warm...his fever had risen.

Astrid was worried. She thought about getting up, and maybe letting Heather and Valka know of this new development, but at the same time, she didn't want to leave Hiccup, especially when he was in this state. She couldn't stand to leave him.

Then, she realized his chest wasn't heaving as it usually was. She couldn't tell if it was rising and falling at _all_...

No. She couldn't let him stop breathing. He was still twitching and jerking restlessly, so at least he was alive...he looked as though he were holding his breath. No, they couldn't have that. No.

"Hiccup, calm down, breathe," she coaxed, smoothing her hand over his sweaty, feverish brow. His head was wrapped in thin strips of gauze, and they felt sweat dampened. Astrid tried to ignore it. His chest still wasn't moving, and she honestly understood why he was holding his breath. Breathing probably put him through one heck of a lot of pain.

But still, he had to breathe.

"It's okay," she promised when he jerked weakly again. "I'm right here, Hiccup. Right here." Still no breathing. "Take a breath...breathe…"

She was worried he wouldn't listen to her, but then, he opened his mouth and sucked in a deep breath. His face contorted in pain, he swallowed, and then took another deep breath. She felt relief wash over her as he breathed, but then, he started coughing. He breathed shallowly between each bout of coughs, but the shallow breathing wasn't helping, and he kept on coughing.

"Hey, hey, calm down," she whispered. He couldn't keep coughing like this. It could further damage his ribs. She couldn't really force him to drink water, either. He could choke on it, and then, they would really be in trouble. "Calm down. Take it easy. It's okay...it'll be okay...shhhh…"

He relaxed (if slightly) at her words, and that brought her back to her first question: could he hear anything she was saying? Was he awake?

"Hiccup, can you hear me?" she asked, hating how desperate she sounded. She couldn't help it; she was scared and worried and freaked out for the sake of her betrothed. His health wasn't improving, at all. When Hiccup still didn't respond, she begged, "Hiccup, please say something."

She didn't know if speaking would cause more pain for him, but at that point, she needed the reassurance of his voice. She needed to hear him speak, or even open his eyes. She just wanted to-

"As...Astrid..."

That was Hiccup's voice, as broken and slurred as it sounded. She would recognize that voice anywhere in any situation, and even though his voice was cracked to the point where she could barely realize he had said her name, she couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"It's okay, it's okay!" she promised. "It's okay, I'm here!" Now that she knew he could hear her, she couldn't help but raise her voice, if slightly. She was so happy just to hear him say something, even if it was one small word.

She felt him relax. His breathing evened out just slightly.

"Don't go back to sleep yet!" she pleaded. She knew he wanted to sleep, and she knew his body wanted him to sleep; she could tell by his posture. But she also knew that at this point, if he fell back asleep (or unconscious, for that matter), she would have a full-blown panic attack.

She pressed her hands against his forehead; his fever was climbing, growing higher seemingly with every passing second. If it got much higher…

She didn't want to think about that.

"Can you open your eyes, Hiccup?" she asked, trying to get over her already growing panic.

For a few moments, nothing happened.

And then, Hiccup cracked his eyes open and squinted up at her blearily, his green eyes unfocused and glazed over.

Despite the hazy appearance of his eyes, Astrid couldn't help but smile. His eyes were open. They were full of pain, and it broke her heart, but he was alive. His open eyes reminded her that she hadn't lost him. That he was still there with her. That there was still a chance of his recovery; of their wedding.

No, not a chance. He _had_ to recover. They _had_ to have their wedding. Astrid would never have it any other way.

"Hiccup," she said, her smile wavering, if slightly. He still looked woozy and dizzy, his features pinched in pain. "You're okay," she said. "It's okay, it's alright, I'm here...I've gotcha…"

She had him, and nothing would hurt him again. Not if she had any say in it. She would kill a hundred of Drago's soldiers before she let something like this ever happen to Hiccup again.

"Astrid," Hiccup gasped out again, his voice still weak and cracked.

Astrid nodded reassuringly. She was there, and she would always be there for him, to help him fight through his pain and recover. He had to recover. He just _had_ to. "Yeah," she said. "The one and only."

She didn't know what else to tell him, or what else there was to tell him.

Hiccup swallowed again, but then, as soon as he did, his eyes shut tightly again, and he cried out in agony. He was in pain, and Astrid knew it. It was impossible for her to not know it. It was written clearly across his face: _Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain._

"Oh, Hiccup!" she cried desperately. "What is it, what's wrong!?" Even as she spoke, she already knew the answer. He was in pain; she didn't know how much pain, but she knew it was no small amount. If it was a small amount, he would have hidden it from her and told her that he was alright.

He could barely talk, and if that was any indication, the amount of pain he was in was something she didn't want to think about, and couldn't think about without feeling as though her heart were being shattered into a thousand pieces.

"H...hurts," Hiccup groaned. Astrid expected him to say that, so it came as absolutely no surprise to her at all. Except, hearing him say that one simple word made her want to cry. In fact, she could feel tears welling in her eyes.

"I know, I know it hurts!" she said. Her voice was growing more and more frantic with every moment, and although she hated it, she couldn't help it. "Just hang in there!"

Hiccup didn't seem to be able to hear her anymore, because he ignored her entirely. He thrashed again, and continued thrashing, his moans of pain growing louder and more desperate.

"Hiccup!" she shouted. "H-Hiccup, please stop! It's okay! It's okay, you're safe! You're okay!"

He clearly wasn't okay, but she wasn't going to say that out loud, even if he couldn't hear anything she was saying.

She put her hands on his cheeks again, but he didn't calm down. He held his breath again, still thrashing and groaning and crying out. He started breathing again before Astrid could remind him, and he began coughing. He coughed and gasped desperately.

"Hiccup, hang on!" Astrid pleaded. "Don't you dare give up!"

Hiccup gasped and moaned and kept gasping, gasping, gasping, his chest heaving as he sucked in breath desperately. Astrid was panicking now; what to do what to do what to do what to do.

 _What am I supposed to do!? What do I do what do I do whatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo…!?_

She had to get help. That's what she had to do. She had to get up, leave him, forget her guilt, and get Valka and Heather back in here as soon as possible. They would know what to do; Astrid had confidence that they would.

"H-hang on, Hiccup!" she pleaded as she shifted, getting ready to race downstairs. "I'm going to get help!"

Hiccup thrashed again; maybe he _could_ hear what she was saying. Maybe he didn't want her to leave. Maybe he was scared.

No matter what he was feeling or what he was hearing, he needed help. He thrashed, and he thrashed, and then, he screamed.

That was it. That did it. "Calm down!" Astrid said desperately. "Relax!"

Not that he would listen.

She stood up, leaving him as she turned, ran, and raced downstairs. She ran so fast she stumbled and tripped over her feet multiple times, yet she never stopped. She had to get help. She had to get help, for Hiccup, and she had to get it _right now_.

…

Hiccup opened his eyes and assessed his surroundings. He was in a white room; or, maybe it wasn't a room at all. There were no walls he could see; no floor, and no roof. His surroundings were completely whitewashed, completely scant of any sort of darkness. Or any other color, for that matter.

"Hello!?" he called into the white, but nothing happened. His voice didn't echo, as he had half expected it to. He spun around, trying to make sense of this scene laid before him. How peculiar. He was pretty sure he was-

"Hiccup."

He spun towards the voice and found himself staring straight at Astrid. She looked just as she always did, dressed in her red shirt and spiked skirt with blue leggings and snowboots. Her bright blonde hair was in its usual sidebraid over her shoulder. Her blue eyes seemed to glow. Her face was...expressionless, as far as Hiccup could tell.

He looked around at the white room again, and then back at Astrid. "Where am I?" he asked blatantly, hoping he didn't sound as scared as he was.

"You're in your mind," Astrid answered; her voice was flat, and oddly enough, her voice echoed, reverberating throughout the area although Hiccup's voice had not. "You might not know it, Hiccup, but you are dying."

Hiccup blinked. New development, much? "I'm dying?" he questioned.

Astrid nodded. "Yes," she said. "Right now, you are struggling. If you keep struggling, you are going to further strain your ribs, and possibly puncture a lung."

Hiccup looked back at her. "What do I do?" he asked.

"Stop struggling." Another voice came from behind him, and he turned around, coming face to face with his mother. "Stop struggling. Calm yourself."

Hiccup shut his eyes and tried to think. Something that would keep him calm, something to keep him calm, something to stop his thrashing...

He thought of Toothless. The dragon was his best friend. Thinking of Toothless always calmed him, usually. He thought about flying through the sky, the wind blowing in his face. He thought about how he met the dragon...

That was not a good thing. He remembered how he shot Toothless clear out of the sky. He remembered discovering Toothless' left tailfin was missing. He remembered the guilt he felt because of that. It was his fault Toothless didn't have both his tailfins. It was all his fault. All his fault-

Pain shot through Hiccup's body, and he doubled over, clutching his ribs. Peaceful thoughts, peaceful thoughts, peaceful thoughts...he had to calm himself down. He had to calm himself down, right now. He had to.

...

Astrid stumbled out the door. Valka and Heather were still standing outside, and their heads whipped around in her direction as soon as she stopped, gasping and panting for breath.

"Astrid," Heather and Valka said at the same time.

"What's-" Heather began to ask, but Astrid cut her off.

"It's Hiccup," Astrid panted. "He's gotten worse. A lot worse."

…

"You are panicking again," Valka's voice said. "You must stop struggling. Calm yourself."

Yeah, too bad it wasn't that easy. His knees buckled, and he steadied himself against the ground, one hand on the white floor while his other hand wrapped around his ribs. He had to calm down now. Calm down, calm down, calm down...

He thought of his family, and all the great times he had with them. He thought about the day they discovered Dragon's Edge. He thought about the twins, Tuffnut's "ghost stories", Snotlout's jokes, Fishlegs' incessant talking when he was excited about a new dragon species, his sister, Heather, his mother, his father, Astrid, Toothless...

The pain in his body dimmed just enough for him to stand again, and although he still cradled his ribs, the pain was beginning to fade, even if slightly. It was an improvement, at least.

"Good," Astrid's voice said again from beside him, and he lifted his head, meeting her dead eyes. "Now your fever. It's the next thing that's going to kill you."

Hiccup didn't know how he could fight an illness. "How?" he asked; he sure asked a lot of questions, he realized. Well, he supposed, he needed a lot of answers, too.

"Keep breathing," Astrid said. "Deep breath in, and deep breath out. Keep your heart beating. Don't let the fever rule your mind, Hiccup. Delusions come next. Remember. Nothing is real."

That didn't sound good. "Nothing is real," he questioned. "Then how do I fight it if nothing's real?"

"Find something sturdy, and anchor yourself to it," Astrid said. "Find something that _is_ real, and keep it to you. Hold yourself to your anchor. Nothing else matters."

Hiccup wondered, for a few moments, what she was talking about, but then, in the white surroundings, appeared men. Not just any men; soldiers. Soldiers, armed with swords and crossbows and weapons of all kinds. Axes, maces, and even dragons.

Hiccup's first instinct was to panic...but then he remembered what Astrid said. _Nothing is real. Nothing else matters. Anchor yourself to something important, something sturdy. Find something that is real and hold onto it._

The soldiers advanced, their weapons aimed and at the ready. Hiccup shut his eyes, but he could still see the soldiers, as if closing his eyes had no effect at all. _Nothing is real. Nothing is real. Nothing is real. Find something that is. Hold onto what is true. Let no one rule your mind. Something real. An anchor. Something sturdy to latch on to._

He thought about his family. Valka, Heather, his father, and soon to be Astrid. He thought about Toothless; _find something real and latch onto it_.

The soldiers were still coming. They were coming closer than ever, and they weren't stopping. Hiccup took a step backwards. Even with knowing the soldiers weren't real, it still haunted him. Drago's soldiers, all coming towards him. Dragons with eyes narrowed into slits approaching him, storming towards him as if not even catapults or brick walls or even death itself could hold them back.

Then, fire surrounded them. Burning, hot, sweltering fire circled the soldiers, and it also circled Hiccup. For a few moments, he couldn't breathe through the smoke, and when he did manage to breathe, it was all smoke he inhaled, and he ended up coughing desperately for breath.

...

That was all Astrid had to say before Heather and Valka were running, back through the door which Astrid in her haste had forgotten to close, and Astrid followed them closely.

 _Please,_ she begged silently. _Please don't take Hiccup away from me._

Hiccup was still tossing and turning. Astrid ran to him, her hands pressing against his cheeks. She almost withdrew them; his skin was so hot, almost as if he were being burned from the inside out.

"Come on," she whispered desperately. "Come on, Hiccup. Keep fighting."

…

"Breathe through it, Hiccup," Astrid's voice cut through all other noises surrounding him. "Your fever is killing you. Fight. Fight it. Fight through it. You can do it. Remember, nothing is real. Find something that _is_ real."

The fire sure felt real...but Hiccup knew in his heart that it wans't. The fire wasn't real. The soldiers weren't real. The dragons around the soldiers weren't real. The weapons weren't real.

Nothing was real.

But that didn't mean they disappeared, because they kept approaching him. The fire grew bigger, burning through the white and turning it black, spreading across the ground like a flock of wild, starving dragons ramping after a heard of yaks.

He looked back up at Astrid. The fire wasn't anywhere near her, and the soldiers were ignoring her. Hiccup knew the fire wasn't real, and he knew the soldiers weren't real. He knew the dragons weren't real, he knew the weapons weren't real.

But Astrid was.

Astrid was real.

She held her hand out towards him, and he didn't waste another second. He stumbled, through the fire, shoving soldiers aside, and grabbing Astrid's hand, their fingers intertwining.

Then, all at once, the soldiers, fire, dragons, and weapons vanished, as if they had never even existed in the first place. There was no burnt marks on the ground; no black; no weapons; no footprints.

Astrid was the only thing who remained. She smiled at Hiccup, and then, took a step backwards, their hands parting.

"Now, comes the pain," Astrid said. "The pain is the hardest part of this, Hiccup. If you do not fight the pain, you will not survive."

Hiccup had fought off fear and fever already by thinking and remembering his friends and family. He figured fighting off the pain should be similarly easy. "Alright," he said, nodding. "What do I do this time?"

"This, is all you," Astrid said flatly, her face once again emotionless. "This is all you, Hiccup. Fighting the pain through your own strength.. I cannot help you anymore, Hiccup. You must face this yourself."

…

His fever was only rising, and there was nothing Astrid could do about it. "Come on," she whispered. "Come on, come on, come on, Hiccup. Keep breathing, please…"

"We need more water," Valka said. "Heather-"

"I'm on it," Heather nodded instantly, grabbing a bucket and racing down the stairs and out of the house. Hiccup's fever was so high...but it had stopped climbing, at least. Still, that didn't help Astrid's rising panic. Oh, Hiccup...her poor, poor Hiccup…

...

What!?

"What?" Hiccup shouted. "Wati!" But she was already gone, vanished to who-knew-where, leaving him alone. He wanted to run, to search, and to find her to help him, but then, the pain started.

And boy did it start. It hit him all at once like a wave of the ocean; like a charging dragon. The pain zapped through his ribs like lightning; and he screamed, his arms moving to wrap around his chest. But then, pain bust through one of his arms, and he bit his lip so hard he was sure he would draw blood. His head throbbed unbearably.

 _Breathe,_ he told himself. _I have to fight through this. I can do this. I have to do this. I need to stay calm, keep breathing, keep my heart beating, and fight through the pain. Fight through the pain. Fight through the pain._

The pain only increased. He sank to his knees, still clutching at his ribs. He felt as though someone were stabbing his chest, reaching through the stab wound, grabbing his ribs, and snapping them, one by one, taking all the sweet time in the world.

…

"His heart's beating like mad," Valka said, panic flowing through her voice. "If his heart doesn't slow down-"

"I got the water!" Heather's voice shouted, followed by the girl rushing through the doorway, water sloshing out of a bucket she carried in her grip. She practically threw the bucket down at the bedside, and the bucket was more empty than it was filled, but no one was complaining. At least Heather got the water and returned quickly.

Valka was quick at removing the humid rag from Hiccup's forehead, rewetting it in the cold water, and then returning it to its position. Astrid, meanwhile, grabbed Hiccup's hand and held it in her own.

"Hiccup, we're losing you," she said, panicked. "You have to be stronger than this."

…

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain, and guess what else? Pain. That was all Hiccup felt. Pain in his head, pain in his chest, pain in his arm, pain basically everywhere. The parts of him that weren't in severe pain were sore, at the very least. His entire body ached and throbbed. More than anything, he wanted it to end.

He shut his eyes, screamed against the pain, and opened them again. This time, though, he found himself in a prison cell, the bars rusty and old. Hiccup lifted his head and looked around.

Then, there as Dagur. Hiccup had to double blink to make sure he was seeing properly. No, he was seeing properly. It was Dagur. He was sitting, leaning against the wall, his arms chained behind his back, the other end of the chain bolted to the brick wall of the cell.

Hiccup grit his teeth, cried out in pain, and gripped his chest again.

 _Control the pain, Hiccup,_ a voice in his head screamed at him. _Control the pain._

"Control, control, control," Hiccup chanted to himself. His voice grew quieter and quieter with every second, until eventually, he was whispering. He sat back and fell against the wall, breathing heavily, gasping for breath. Across the room, Dagur chuckled.

"It hurts, doesn't it, brother?" he said. His eyes were wide and full of deranged insanity. "Pain, heartbreak, loss…"

The pain in Hiccup's chest grew, and he cried out again, wrapping his arms around his ribcage and holding tightly. Pain. Control the pain. Control, control, control…

"Pain isn't such a bad thing, Hiccup," Dagur growled. "Pain. You always felt pain, didn't you, Hiccup? People who deserted you, people who treated you as though you were lowlier than dirt...pain hurts, brother. I know."

Hiccup fell against the ground, his body spasming. Pain took its toll, and he found he could no longer control it.

Dagur suddenly lurched forward. His chains kept him from touching Hiccup, but he still got dangerously close.

"But you don't have to fear it!" Dagur chanted. "Pain is good, brother! Do not fear pain!"

Hiccup cried out in agony and rolled from his back to his side, curling into himself in a fetal position. He could hear a small part of himself still screaming, _No! Fight the pain! Control the pain, Hiccup!,_ but he couldn't bring himself to react. Tears streamed from his eyes. He tried to fight the pain in his chest, but it soon proved to be rather...impossible.

"You're dying, Hiccup," Dagur said. "And you know what? It's okay. Sometimes it's okay to let go."

Hiccup wasn't _letting go_. He was being _stripped away_ , and he couldn't control it, try and try and try as he might. He couldn't escape it; couldn't avoid it. The pain was reaching for him, and soon enough, it grabbed him and held tightly.

He couldn't fight it anymore.

He couldn't fight it anymore…

It was too much. Too, too, too, much. Hiccup couldn't handle it. The pain was intensifying. His convulsions were slowing as his body shut down, bit by bit, little by little. He couldn't think anymore...he could hardly breathe...

"Come on, Hiccup," Dagur groaned softly. "Just die already. Why can't you? It would be so easy, to let go...the pain will end, brother. Let go, and it will end. It can all be over, but you need to let. Yourself. Go."

Hiccup felt a rush of oxygen leave his lungs. He could feel his heart fluttering weakly in his chest, but that was about it. The flutters were getting softer, softer, and softer, and less noticeable every time. Maybe he was dying. Maybe this was finally it for him. Maybe this was his last stand.

Maybe this was his last goodbye.

Hiccup closed his eyes.

…

"Hiccup...HICCUP!" Astrid shouted desperately as soon as he stopped thrashing. A few moments ago, he'd been thrashing and crying out like mad. Now, he was just lying there, completely still, his face as pale as freshly fallen snow while his cheeks were still that awful shade of red that meant he had a fever. He stopped struggling. His chest wasn't heaving for breath anymore.

No, no, no, he couldn't be dead. He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be. He couldn't be. He couldn't, couldn't, couldn't be.

"No!" Astrid cried desperately. "No," she whispered, shaking her head back and forth. "Please no." Desperate, she leaned over him, pressed her ear to his chest, and waited, hardly daring to breathe.

She waited.

She waited.

She waited.

She waited.

She waited.

But…

She choked on a sob. "His heart stopped."

...

"Ah," Dagur said, sounding pleased and relaxed. "You're gonna love being dead, brother. You don't feel pain, you don't worry, and best of all, no one ever bothers you. Now isn't that nice? No more pain? No more fear? No more worry, concern? No more worrying about people stepping all over you…"

Hiccup knew his heart had stopped, but in the last few moments of his life, he could hear what Dagur was saying. He could hear every single word, and, strangely enough, he comprehended it just as well.

"Your sister will cry," Dagur said as if he were counting off things on a checklist, "your cousin will cry, your Mommy will cry, and Astrid...Oh, Astrid will cry buckets and buckets, brother. It's her I worry about the most. You know, you're failing her, Hiccup. You're failing Astrid."

Hiccup's eyes jolted open again abruptly. _Astrid._ His heart beat weakly against his chest; he could feel every beat of his heart against his ribcage. He grimaced, ignored the pain, and took in a deep breath.

…

Astrid wanted to scream; she wanted to cry. She wanted to yell at destiny for taking Hiccup away from them. She wanted to scream, shout, yell, cry...mostly cry…

He was gone. Gone, forever, and there was no bringing him back.

Now she was crying. She was about to pull away, but then, a small, almost unnoticeable noise stopped her.

 _Thump_. Yep, it was small and quiet alright, but she felt the thump against her ear. She froze dead in her tracks, and pressed her ear even harder against Hiccup's chest again, hoping against hope that she hadn't just been hearing things.

 _Thump_.

No, she hadn't just been hearing things. That wasn't just any _thump;_ that was the weak beat of Hiccup's heart.

"Wait," she whispered. She pulled away again, putting her hand over Hiccup's mouth. His warm breath caressed her fingertips, and she started crying again, all for a few reason.

Joy.

Because he was still fighting.

Because he hadn't given up yet.

...

Hiccup rolled over on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. No, he couldn't die. He couldn't die. He'd promised Astrid he'd be alright; he promised he would marry her. He promised. He wasn't about to break that promise.

Dagur turned back to look at him. Hiccup got up on his knees, his hands pressed firmly against the ground. He could do it; he could do it. His ribs were full of pain, and his head pounded, but he could do it.

He would do it.

He wouldn't die now.

"Oh, you're not getting better, are you?" Dagur said techily. Hiccup ignored him. He hauled himself to his feet and staggered backwards, slumping against the wall once more. His eyes narrowed, focused on the door to the cell.

It was then Hiccup noticed it wasn't latched shut all the way. There was a way to escape. He knew there was now.

"Please tell me you aren't actually... _fighting_ again, Hiccup," Dagur said. He smiled, but his smile faded when Hiccup glared back at him. Hiccup wasn't going to let this maniac rule him. He wasn't going to let his mind be controlled. "Was it something I said, huh?" Dagur questioned.

His comment went ignored, once again, as Hiccup, grunting with the effort and under the strain of the pain, pushed himself away from the wall and towards the rusty door. Hiccup paused, only slightly, looked back at Dagur, and then, he pushed the door open, and stumbled out.

"BROTHER!" Hiccup heard Dagur shout from behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. As long as he got away from Dagur, he was fine. For all he cared, Dagur could shout anything he wanted to, just so long as Hiccup never had to look at him again.

As soon as Hiccup made it out the door of the cell, he collapsed, falling to the ground face-first, his chest slamming against the ground with his head following afterwards. He moaned hoarsely, resting his cheek against the solid, white ground.

"Hiccup."

He heard the voice again: Astrid's voice, and he lifted his head weakly to gaze up at her. There she was, looking back down at him, a small smile spreading across her face.

"You did it, Hiccup," she said. "You did it."

Hiccup smiled back weakly, exhausted. "I...I did it…" he murmured.

"Yes." Astrid knelt down in front of him as he dropped his head back to the ground. "You did it." She smoothed her hand over his head, and her touch made him sigh in contentment. "You can rest now, Hiccup," she said. "Rest. When you wake up, you will feel better."

And Hiccup let his eyes close without a second thought.

...

The soft, steady beat of Hiccup's heart thumped against her ear. She was pretty sure she was going to break down sobbing then and there, once again. She was going to sob, and she was going to laugh. He was alive. He was alive, and that was the important thing. That was _the most important thing_ in the world at that moment to Astrid.

She pulled away and realized she was already crying, although she was smiling like mad. He was okay. He was okay.

 _He was okay_.

"He's okay!" Astrid breathed. "He's okay!" She kissed his warm, sweaty cheek, her tears dropping against his face although she couldn't bring herself to care. Behind her, Heather and Valka cheered, and Astrid could see them hugging each other tightly out of the corner of her eye.

She didn't care, because he was alright. His fever was still ridiculously high, but his heart was still beating. He was still breathing.

What more could she care about?


	34. Chapter 34

**Something happened to fanfiction where I only got a few reviews. I did a test-review, and I didn't receive it in my email, and it hasn't registered in the story, so I don't know if you guys left reviews or not.**

 **I was going to post this chapter yesterday, but I literally could not log in to my account. The website didn't let me. :/**

 **Basically, I can only do a few shout-outs. IF YOU REVIEWED CHAPTER 33 AND DO NOT HAVE A SHOUT-OUT, I AM SO SORRY! SO, SO, SO SORRY! I didn't receive your review if you left it and don't have a shout-out! I love you guys, and I hope the fanfiction error fixes soon! Here are the shout-outs to the reviews that I did receive:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Yay! Hiccup's alive! :D**

 **ParagonNight666: Sometimes I want to bring all the dead villains back from the grave just so we can kill them again, you know what I mean? They're so evil and awful, especially Dagur and Drago. Sometimes I wonder what's going to happen to Dagur in Race to the Edge. I mean, are they going to kill him off, or are they going to convert Dagur to the good side? Who knows. :)**

 **BraveDragonof214: Yeah, hopefully not too many. :)**

 **LunarCatNinja: Thanks! :D Yeah, Sherlockians! :D That scene was inspired by the scene in "His Last Vow", when Sherlock was shot. Obviously, though, you know this. :D SHERLOCKIANS! :D**

 **AVC03: I know what you mean! It's fun to watch the main character fight off mental stuff like this. :)**

 **HappyPup1: PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! HICCUP IS ALIVE, SEE!? YOU CAN'T KILL ME NOW! I LET HIM LIVE! I LET HIM LIVE! I DIDN'T KILL HIM! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!**

 **silverwolvesarecool: Yeah! Take that, Dagur! In your face! :D**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Thanks! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: I think the scaulding water worked! My email is functioning again! Yay! :D :D :D Who let Dagur in!? KICK HIM OUT! DAGUR IS HERE! KICK HIM OUT! *kicks Dagur out* No one invited him in!**

 **Toothless801: Wow! Thanks! I'm glad you loved the chapter so much! I like knowing that I succeeded in my attempts to draw the reader into the writing and make them feel what the characters are feeling. It makes me feel really, really, really, really, really achieved, because I strive to draw the readers into the chapters! :D Thanks for the review, Tooth! :D**

 **IonitaMircea32: I'm glad you approve of the chapter! :D I seriously had way too much fun writing it. Like, you wouldn't believe how fun it was to write Hicucp's "mind palace." :D**

 **neobendium: I've never actually thought about doing a Superhero AU or a Dark!Hiccup fic before, but it might be pretty cool to try in the future. :D At the moment, I'm not taking any more requests, but I'll keep them in mind! Who knows. Maybe I'll get more ideas and write it. :)**

 **LiviLovesDragons: Well, I've been keeping you guys in suspense for the past few chapters. It's nice to know that Hiccup will live now. :D**

 **thearizona: Yeah, I thought about leaving it on a cliffhanger, but it kinda felt too barbaric of me. You guys deserve a happy ending every once in a while. ;) The scene in Hiccup's mind was inspired by a scene in a BBC Sherlock episode. If you've ever watched all the episodes in the show, you know what scene I'm talking about. :)**

* * *

"Hiccup…"

A voice, calm yet concerned, calling his name. Despite the fact, he didn't open his eyes, and he didn't make any moves to signal him being awake. He didn't want to move. His eyelids felt heavy, and his arms and legs (or, what legs he had) felt like led. He felt lightheaded, even though he was lying down, and the idea of opening his eyes or sitting up or even moving at all was not a welcomed one.

"Hey, Hiccup...the sun's up."

It meant nothing to Hiccup. The sun could wait. What did it have to do with getting up? He didn't want to get up. He wanted to stay and sleep forever, without moving or even thinking, without worrying about the villagers or being concerned for Heather or his mother or Astrid-

"Hiccup, are you awake?"

That voice, was very, very, very, _persistent,_ and it was _annoying_. Didn't the voice know he wanted to sleep? He wasn't about to answer the question the voice had asked him. It would involve talking, and he didn't want to talk. His throat felt dry and raw. Talking did not sound as though it would be particularly enjoyable at this point.

"Hiccup, please open your eyes."

 _Nope nope nope nope nope._

Then, he took a moment to reconsider. That voice...that soft, feminine voice, calling to him...a voice he recognized.

Astrid.

Then, all at once, he remembered everything: the pain, how sick he felt, hearing his father's voice…

He remembered everything, and he jarred awake, his eyes flying open. His vision was blurry and fuzzy, but then, after what felt like an eternity, his sight returned to him.

"Whoa! Hey, hey, calm down!"

Astrid's hands pushed against his shoulders, and it was then he realized he was trying to sit up. Instantly, he fell back against the bed again, his ribs throbbing in protest at his attempts to move.

The throb, though...it was just a throb. Not a burning, stabbing, painful feeling that had taken residence in his body what felt so long ago. Now, it was just a throb. A gentle throb he barely noticed and was able to ignore with a surprising amount of ease.

The throb was a relief to his previous pain. It was an incredible improvement. He wasn't complaining; not at all.

He turned his head to the side, trying not to move more than what was necessary for fear of his head exploding in pain again. There was Astrid, sitting at the edge of the bed, her blonde hair in a messy braid over her shoulder, her eyes tired yet relieved.

"There you are," she said in a lighthearted tone. She reached out tentatively, brushing her fingers against her hairline. Hiccup looked at her fingers crosseyed for a moment until it made him feel dizzy. "Your fever hasn't come back," Astrid said.

Hiccup blinked back at her in slight confusion. He didn't remember recovering, at all, actually. He only remembered being in pain and feeling sick to the point where he was surprised he wasn't dead. He didn't remember ever feeling better. "When did it break?" he asked after another moment.

Oh Thor, his voice sounded _awful_. He cleared his throat and coughed into his fist, but really, it did nothing. He felt as though there were a lump clogging his throat, and he couldn't gulp it down or cough it up.

Astrid put her hands on his shoulders and met his eyes again. "Think you can sit up?" she asked.

Hiccup didn't know whether or not he could sit up, especially with how his ribs had felt previously, but he didn't want to say no and worry Astrid, so in the end, he nodded. Astrid helped him sit up, and as soon as he was upright, he leaned heavily against the headboard of the bed.

Surprisingly enough, his ribs didn't hurt nearly as much as he expected them to. He was broken out of his thoughts when Astrid grabbed a cup off the bedside table and thrust it into his unbroken hand.

Water.

"Thanks, Astrid," he managed, and downed the contents of the cup easily. He felt like he hadn't drank anything in so long. He handed the cup back to Astrid, who set it aside once again.

"Your fever broke last night," the girl finally said, answering the previous question Hiccup had almost forgotten he'd asked. "It peaked, and then it broke. It's good to finally see you coherent."

Hiccup looked back at her. "How long was I out?" he asked. The last thing he remembered was hearing his father's voice, and then feeling an almost unnatural feeling of exhaustion sweep over him. It was so strong that it eliminated the pain in his ribs and head and forced him into oblivion.

"Tonight would mark five days," Astrid answered.  
Hiccup's mind screeched to a halt. " _What?"_

Astrid nodded. "Five days, nearly," she said. "You were getting better, and then your fever rose again, and then it broke...it's been up and down, Hiccup. One day it looks like you're going to pull through, and the next day we're practically dumping buckets of snow over your head to try and bring your fever down. Gothi was no help at all; she kept saying it was fifty fifty either way, and at that point, I guess I can't blame her, because there was no way to _tell-"_

"Astrid-"

"And it wouldn't have matter what she said," Astrid went on, her voice growing more frantic with every word in a way that made Hiccup feel uneasy, "because no one knew what was going to happen to you, and since no one knew, we've been here, but you go up and down and your health was spiralling downhill faster than Toothless when his tailfin is jammed-"

"Astrid-"

"And after you gave me the ring and promised to marry me I suppose it's been harder for me because I didn't know what was going to happen to you-"

"Ast-"

"And you were so sick-"

"Astrid-"

"And hurt-"

"Astrid-"

"And-"

"ASTRID!"

She was talking so fast he could hardly understand what she was saying, and even if he could understand, he was having a hard time comprehending. She looked back at him for a moment, and then lowered her gaze to her hands, staring at them as if they were to blame.

"I know," she said, shaking her head. "I know, I'm kind of panicking, but...but...I-I mean...what do you expect, Hiccup?" She looked back up at him. "You almost died. There were times when you were actually more dead than alive. Times when Gothi told us to start building a pyre, because...well...we just didn't know…"

He could see it now; the tears building up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Astrid blinked, and one tear rolled down her cheek.

"Astrid," Hiccup tried, "you're-"

"Crying?" Astrid offered. She wiped at her eyes, almost furiously. "That's what happens when your betrothed goes off and does something stupid. That's what happens when the person you love more than anything else in the world almost...almost...dies."

Astrid glanced back at him, and another tear cascaded down her face. "You almost _died_."

If there was one thing Hiccup couldn't stand, it was watching people cry, and Astrid was no exception. In fact, it hurt him more when she was the one crying. He hated it, especially since she was usually such a strong willed, stoic woman who didn't want to look weak.

Most people thought she did a good job of it. Most people thought Astrid would never cry for anything.

But Hiccup knew better. He knew _her_ better. "Oh, Astrid…"

Neither of them were quite sure how it happened, but the next moment, regardless of who made the first move, they were embracing each other tightly. Astrid's arms tightened in a death grip around his chest, and although it made his ribs throb in protest, he forced himself to ignore the pain.

He wrapped his arms back around her. He felt her shoulders jerk and her tears soak his shoulder.

"You almost _died_ , you stupid idiot," Astrid sobbed. "I-it was the Red Death all over again…o-only this time, t-there was no reassurance of k-knowing you would pull through."

Hiccup didn't remember anything that happened after the Red Death went down, nearly five years ago. All he remembered was the dragon's tail, shouting "No!", and then, he woke up at his house back on Berk with a prosthetic leg.

According to what Astrid and other Berkians had told him, the time he was in his coma wasn't pleasant, but Gothi also told them that she was almost positive he would pull through.

Now, Astrid was telling him that a few days ago, they didn't know if he would live or die. He couldn't help but wince; he must have been in pretty bad shape for that to happen.

"It's okay, Astrid," he whispered. "I'm okay now."

Astrid shook her head against his shoulder. "D-Do you know where you would have left us?" she asked. "More importantly, d-do you know where you would have left _me?_ W-what about Heather? Your sister? Your _mother?_ We can't live without you, Hiccup, and you...you…" Astrid sighed and held him even tighter. "I love you, Hiccup," she whispered. "I love you, _so much_. I can't lose you."

Hiccup tightened his grip around her, almost protectively. "I love you too, Astrid," he whispered back. "I'm not going anywhere, don't worry."

They stayed there for longer than Astrid truly wished to think about, safe in the comfort of each other's arms. At long last, Astrid finally pulled away, her hands on Hiccup's shoulders.

"I have good news," she said, her smile returning. "Gothi says you're officially on the mend. You're going to pull through, Hiccup. You're going to make it after all."

Seeing Hiccup awake and coherent was enough to make Astrid want to leap for joy, and as soon as she told Hiccup about him being officially on the mend, he smiled brightly at her.

"Thank you, Astrid," he said.

Astrid blinked. She was a bit confused now. She'd been expecting him to burst into a cheer and shout it to the rooftops. She wanted to do that herself, but instead, he just thanked her? That was all he did?

"Why thank me?" she questioned.

Hiccup smiled warmly. "Because even though I wasn't exactly coherent," he said, "that didn't mean I didn't know you were there. I know you stayed with me more than anyone else did. I felt you holding my hand when I was in pain. And...I don't think I would have been able to hold on if it wasn't for your comfort."

Astrid couldn't help but smile. She was wondering about that, actually; did Hiccup actually hear the words she spoke to him, or feel it when she stroked his hair out of his face or held his hand when his fever spiked? Apparently so, and it made her smile to know that she had helped Hiccup in some way.

"Hey, it's my job, right?" she offered. "Looking after you?" He smiled even bigger, and her smile grew as well. "How do you feel?" she asked after another moment. "How's the pain?"

"Surprisingly, not very bad," Hiccup nodded. "I mean...I'm still sore, and my head still feels like I've been rammed into by a Gronckle, but it's an improvement for sure."

Astrid felt better now, knowing that he was improving, even if he was still a bit sore. She knew he was going to be sore for another few weeks, until his ribs mended, and until his broken arm healed, but she would be there to help him through it. She would be there for him, no matter what happened.

Hiccup looked down at his hands. "I heard my Dad," he said.

That made Astrid pause. She looked back at him in question. "What do you mean?" she asked, although she was pretty sure she already knew the answer. Hiccup was more dead than alive during half of his unconsciousness.

"In my head," Hiccup replied. "I heard him in my head, telling me that it wasn't my time, and that I had to hold on and protect the village…"

It just reminded Astrid of how close Hiccup came to death. If only reminded her of how close she came to losing him forever.

Hiccup looked back up at her. "I know it sounds crazy-"

"No, it doesn't," Astrid shook her head. "It's not crazy. You were really sick, Hiccup, and gravely injured. But you're recovering now." She took his unbroken hand in hers, her other hand resting over his bandaged one. "You're on the mend, like I said. You're going to be fine. Just give it time, and rest. You need all the rest you can get."

As if confirming her words, Hiccup's eyelids drooped. She knew he was tired; she could see it on his face. She knew that his body was working, trying to mend his broken bones, and it was obviously draining his energy. Besides, he still felt a little warm. His body was fighting to heal itself, and it was making Hiccup exhausted.

"Hey, if you want to sleep, you can," Astrid said, combing her fingers through his bangs, brushing them off his forehead and holding them back so he could look her in the eyes. "I'm not gonna stop you. You should rest."

Hiccup smiled tiredly. "I know," he agreed, "but I feel like I've been sleeping for so long-"

"I know," Astrid said, "and the more you sleep, the faster your recovery will go. I don't want you straining yourself before your body can handle it, Hiccup, alright?"

Hiccup nodded.

Before either of them could make another move or say another word, they heard the sound of the front door opening. Astrid craned her neck, trying to see down the stairs, although she learned no new information. She wondered who had come in. It was probably Heather, or maybe Valka. Heather had left to check on the Berserkers with a promise to return, and Valka had left to see Toothless, the dragons, and the Berkians with the same promise.

"Astrid?" Heather's voice called. Her worried shout echoed throughout the house. "You still here?"

"Hey, Heather!" Hiccup called back cheerily before Astrid even opened her mouth to reply. "How's stuff in the village?"

There was absolute silence from the main floor of the house.

And then, there were pounding footsteps ascending the stairwell, followed by Heather appearing in the doorway. She skidded to a stop, her eyes widening when she saw her brother.

Hiccup lifted his good arm and waved at his sister. "Hello!" he said, almost too cheerfully.

Heather blinked. Then, she smiled, shouted, "HICCUP!" and raced across the room. Astrid wisely took a step backwards, and Heather took her place, her arms tightening around her brother's chest. Astrid saw Hiccup wince, probably due to pain in his ribs, but soon enough, he smiled and hugged Heather back.

Heather pulled back, her hands gripping Hiccup's shoulders. "You're awake," she gasped. "You're awake, and-" She put her hand on his forehead, over his bandages. "And your fever's stayed down. How do you feel? How's the pain? Do you need anything? Water? Are you alright? How long have you been-?"

"Heather!" Hiccup laughed. "You can calm down, alright? I'm fine. I'm a lot better than I've been the past few days, so I hear from Astrid." He winked in Astrid's direction, and she couldn't help but wink back.

Heather looked up at Astrid, and then back down at Hiccup. "Yeah," she said. "You've improved a lot...hang on. I'll get Mom. She'll be so happy to hear you're awake, Hiccup." Before Hiccup could even respond, Heather was up on her feet again, down the stairs, and out the door.

As soon as she was gone, Astrid laughed. She didn't know why, but it was always fun to watch Hiccup interact with his sister in playful banter. Hiccup glanced back at her in confusion, but it wasn't long before he joined in the laughter.

"So, you weren't the only one worried about me, were you?" he asked after another moment of joyful laughs.

Astrid nodded. "Nope," she said. "Your Mom and Heather are both on the 'worry-about-Hiccup' team." Astrid looked down at her pouch, where her engagement ring still remained. Then, she looked back up at Hiccup. "I told them about our engagement," she said.

"What did they think?"

"I think they took it well," Astrid nodded. "I really haven't heard much about it, but none of them protested. I think they were too shocked for a while to even think about it, but that's alright." She sat down on the edge of the bed again. "We'll have a meeting with them before we start wedding preparations. I suppose we have a lot to talk about."

She was still so excited about the wedding. Now that they knew Hiccup was going to pull through, she was more excited than ever. Snoggletog was still about nine months away, but that was alright, because Hiccup still needed time to recover properly before their wedding.

She was so excited, it was almost hard to find the words to describe it.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I talked to your Uncle Finn a while back. He was really open to the idea. And then, of course, I cleared it with my father...he was also really open to it, as you could have probably guessed."

Astrid nodded. "So...the wedding will take place around Snoggletog, right?" she asked.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Around Snoggletog."

Astrid smiled.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

 **Okay, right now, guys, my brain is fried. If I write the wedding scene right now, it's going to be really, really awful. So, when I return in October, I will have a really, really nice wedding scene. I'll do some more research on viking weddings, and return with a really nice scene. :) Thanks for the ones who reviewed last chapter, and I'll see you all in October! :D**


	35. Chapter 35

**Dowedowedowedowedooooo...**

 **Hello, people! *waves hand cheerfully* So, I told you that there would be a bonus chapter, and so, yeah. HERE IT IS. :D**

 **Actually, there might be another bonus chapter after this one, so, yeah. If you want, you can look forward to that, disregard it if you may, or whatever you guys do with my chapters. ;)**

 **Oh, and one more thing...**

 **TODAY IS MY 1ST FANFICTION ANNIVERSARY! :D :D :D *lame streamers* So, I've written 90 stories in one year! I know, other people have probably done more, but you know, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! :D I didn't even know how to respond to PMs for the longest time, which was funny, because the PM bar was LITERALLY RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME. XD**

 **Yeah. Me + Technology = Nope. XD LOL, NOPE! :D :D :D**

 **So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. In honesty, this is kind of a filler, dealing with some of Valka's thoughts to Hiccup being awake, but y'know, I liked it. There will be another chapter after this one, and I think that chapter will have to do with Hiccup and Astrid planning the wedding, but...**

 **Well, do you guys even _want_ a chapter like that? Let me know! :D Enjoy chapter 35! :D **

* * *

Valka was dragging a bucket of water into the stables for the dragons when Heather raced in so quickly Valka jumped backwards, water sloshing from the bucket and splashing against the ground, soaking a pile of hay.

"Heather!" Valka said, not in anger, but in shock. Her daughter usually wasn't one to barge in, especially without some sort of warning. Besides, Heather didn't spend a whole lot of time at the stables, and more than that, the girl looked distressed.

Frantic, if you would. But not a bad frantic. The frantic that said, _I have something I want to show you! Come see it! It's amazing!_

Valka looked at her, and Heather gasped, trying to get her breath back. Valka wondered if the girl had run the whole distance, from wherever she was to the stables.

"Heather, what is it?" Valka asked. "What's wrong?" She was tired of worrying; she didn't want to worry about anything else. Toothless was doing a great job as Alpha, but Valka was still constantly worried for her son, as well.

Heather put her hand forward. "Nothing's...nothing's wrong," she panted. Valka tilted her head in confusion, and Heather smiled. "Hiccup's awake," she said.

Valka's eyes widened. The bucket fell from her grip and hit the ground, water splashing all over the hay although she couldn't bring herself to care. Hiccup was awake. The words repeated in her head over and over and over again.

 _Hiccup's awake_.

Her boy was awake.

She shoved past Heather. She had to see for herself. She had to see her son for herself. She had to. She just had to. She'd been so worried about him recently; he was finally awake. Finally, finally, finally, _finally_.

She didn't remember even reaching their house, but before she knew what she was doing, she was climbing the stairs to Hiccup's loft. _Hiccup's awake, Hiccup's awake, Hiccup's awake…_

And he _was_ awake. He was sitting up with Astrid sitting right in front of him, her hands against his cheeks. She was saying something about him needing to rest, and that he was only going to make his recovery slow if he didn't, but Valka could hardly care about their conversation.

Their heads turned in her direction as she stopped in the doorway, and she couldn't help but notice Hiccup's sloppy posture. She had only known him for a short time, of course, but she had picked up a few of his habits. He was very laid back, yet, his posture was usually (if not always) straight. He held himself with authority, and it made sense why he would. He had lots of responsibilities, after all, and of course, he was the heir of Berk.

Well, he was the heir of Berk when she first met him. Now, he was the Chief of Berk.

But regardless of his position then and now, his posture was anything but upright.

And his eyes…

Valka had learned that her son had the most expressive eyes of any one she had ever met or even seen, for that matter. You could take one look into his eyes and know what he was feeling, beit worry, sadness, joy, confusion, annoyance, or anger. At the same time, Hiccup also had the best poker face of anyone she had ever known or seen. His deep, beautiful, emerald-colored eyes, which analyzed, expressed, and hid.

Right now, though, his eyes were displaying everything he was feeling, and the first thing Valka caught in them was exhaustion. She didn't blame him, honestly. With everything he'd been through, she would have been surprised if he wasn't exhausted.

There was something else she caught in his eyes.

Relief.

She imagined she looked no different. Because she was relieved; she was beyond relieved, even. The last time she saw Hiccup awake, his eyes were red, dazed, glassy due to his fever, and bloodshot. The last time she saw Hiccup awake, he couldn't hardly get a word out without coughing or moaning in pain. The last time she saw Hiccup awake, he was weak and sick and hardly able to move.

Now, he was looking at her, coherent.

And better yet, he was smiling.

The smile was weak and didn't reach his eyes, but it was an honest smile nonetheless, and his mother knew that. So, without waiting another moment, Valka crossed the room in long strides that felt more like leaps.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she had Hiccup in her arms, holding him tightly, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside him. She closed her eyes, silently and gratefully holding the son she had come so close to losing. She felt tears prick her eyes, and she knew there was no stopping them.

"Oh Hiccup…" she whispered. It seemed as though no matter how tightly she held him, she simply could not hold him tight enough. She wondered if she would ever let go of him; probably not. Not for a while, at least.

"You took twenty years off my life, Hiccup," Valka gasped. She was sobbing now, and she couldn't help it. She embraced Hiccup even tighter, one of her hands on the back of his head while her other arm wrapped around his shoulders. Letting go of him never once crossed her mind.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup whispered. His voice still had a rasp to it, but it was far better than it had been before.

Valka shook her head. "Don't," she said. "Don't be sorry, Hiccup. You didn't do anything. It wasn't your fault."

Astrid looked down at the ground. Valka knew Astrid blamed herself, and it really wasn't hard to see why the Hofferson girl did. Astrid most likely thought that if she hadn't been standing where she was when she was, Hiccup wouldn't have had to shove her out of the way and put himself in the danger she should have been in.

But it wasn't her fault.

"It's not your fault, either, Astrid," Valka said.

Astrid didn't look reassured, but she nodded nonetheless, not even opening her mouth to agree or retort.

At length, as soon as she got over her relief, Valka realized that Hiccup was shaking within her hold. She pulled away instantly, holding his head with her hands on his cheeks. He leaned into her palms.

Valka had almost forgotten how exhausted he looked. "Oh, I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry, here, lie down-"

Hiccup shook his head tiredly. "No, I'm alright," he said. "It's...it's okay."

Astrid shook her head right alongside Hiccup. "No, you're not okay," she said. "Listen to your mother and rest. You don't listen to me."

"I try," Hiccup murmured. He was looking drowsier and drowsier by the second, and Valka decided it would be smart to get him to lay down, preferably before he passed out.

"Lie back," Valka said, gently pushing Hiccup by his shoulders back onto the bed. Hiccup really didn't protest; he let his mother push him onto his back again, and he sighed, letting his eyes close.

"Thanks, Mom," he murmured.

Mom. Valka would never get tired of hearing her son call her that. She wasn't used to it, but being reminded that she was a mother, and that she had a son to take care of, made her feel important. It made her realize that even though she'd been gone the first twenty years of Hiccup's life, she could still be there for him now.

"You're welcome," she said. "You should rest."

"I...I just woke up…" Hiccup slurred, although she could tell he was leaning towards her suggestion, his eyes fluttering closed.

"Yeah," Astrid stepped forward, "but you're also still recovering. Let yourself relax, Hiccup. You don't have to do...and there he goes." She smiled and shook her head softly when Hiccup's breathing evened out, indicating sleep.

Valka smiled and shook her head. "He pushes himself too hard," she said. "But, he means well."

Astrid nodded. "I know he does," she said. "It's just, a little, you know...annoying sometimes. He always does this. He saves someone else just to put his own life in danger, and yet, he never stops worrying about others, even if he's the one who needs to be worried over."

She shook her head.

Valka nodded. "So," she said. "I suppose this means I can expect grandchildren?"

Hiccup's eyes flew open so quickly Valka was tempted to jump. She'd been sure he was sleeping. "Maybe," he said, lifting a finger.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Go. To. Sleep," Astrid demanded.

"But...Astrid," Hiccup whined like a five-year-old.

Valka couldn't help but smile at their banter. Hiccup and Astrid reminded her a lot of how she and Stoick used to be, back when they were younger, before they were married. She saw a lot of Stoick in Hiccup. It warmed and broke her heart both at once.

Oh, she missed her husband so much. She didn't think she would miss him as much as she did now, especially after not seeing him for twenty years, but the fact that he still loved her, even after she left him and Hiccup all those years ago…

She shook her head and tried not to think about it. It only made her feel worse.

Hiccup met her eyes again, only this time, the joyfulness was gone. "Mom," he said. "I...I don't...I...I…"

"What?" Valka asked. She looked at Astrid; the girl looked worried, although Valka had yet to learn why. "What's wrong, Hiccup?"

"I...I'm sorry," Hiccup whispered.

Astrid and Valka exchanged confused, concerned glances. Valka knew Hiccup would take the blame for everything, but the real question was, what was he taking the blame for this time?

"I...I don't know," Hiccup said. "I...I killed...I murdered Drago."

Ah. Guilt. Valka had to admit, she was a little surprised when she watched Hiccup drive that sword straight through Drago's chest, simply because Hiccup was normally such a peacekeeper from what she had seen, and he didn't look the violent type.

Then again, Valka supposed, Drago did kill Hiccup's father, and there was nothing like the death of the person who raised you to really feel fury towards the one who caused it.

Astrid sighed. "It's not your fault, Hiccup," she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, opposite from the side Valka was residing. "You didn't do _anything_. You were just protecting your own. That's what the Chief does, right?"

Hiccup glanced up at her and broke eye contact again. "I-I know," he said. "I...I just...maybe I could have done something else."

"Hiccup," Valka said, trying to keep her voice soft and gentle, "what would you have done? If you did manage to capture him instead of killing him, he would have been executed. After all...he did kill your father."

Hiccup winced, and for a moment, Valka was afraid she'd struck a chord, but instead of protesting, Hiccup simply sighed.

"And you couldn't change his mind, Hiccup," Astrid added. "You tried, you know you did, but it just...it didn't work. Some minds just can't be changed."

"But-" Hiccup tried to protest.

"Hiccup, stop," Valka said. "It's not your fault at all. It was either your people, or Drago, and you made the only choice you would ever make. You chose your people over the madman who killed your father, and that's alright, alright?"

Slowly, ever so slowly, Valka could tell her son was agreeing to what she had said. He nodded shakily and closed his eyes at length.

Valka took in a deep breath. She really didn't know what else to say.

Well, maybe she didn't have to say anything.

She could always start making wedding preparations instead.


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey hey hey, ladies and gentlemen! Fangirls and fanboys of all ages! Welcome, welcome, welcome! :D :D :D Shout-outs for chapter 35:**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: Thanks! :D Yep, gotta love Mother/Son bonding! :D**

 **Cadet Seinera: Thanks a bunch! :D Yep, the feelsies are realsies, that's for certain. :D And yay! I'm lookin' forward to being one of the awesome NADRS. :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: Haha, lol! That's a lot of thank you's there, my friend. :D And yeah, Drago deserved death. Sometimes, some villains aren't evil enough to deserve death (kinda like Alvin, even though he really didn't stay a villain), but yeah, I never really wanted Alvin to die in the series. Now, Drago and Dagur, on the other hand…:D**

 **LiviLovesDragons: Ha, thank you! :D 90 stories doesn't sound like a whole bunch to me, but then when I go back to my profile and scroll through my list of stories, I'm just, "Omgosh, 90 stories is a lot." XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **HappyPup1: Thanks! :D The wedding is in the next chapter (chapter 37). So yep. That marks the last chapter of this story, too. The wedding will be the end.**

 **LissanFuryEye: Hehe, thank you! :D I loved that scene when Fishlegs was singing that song about Dark Deep! Especially Hiccup's reaction to it! :D**

 **Literally No One: Thanks! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: I'm glad you love it! :D And the wedding scene will be in the next chapter, just so ya know. :D**

 **thearizona: The wedding is going to be in the next chapter (chapter 37). And wow, yes, that WOULD be a good idea! Doing an extra chapter with Hiccup and Astrid's kids? That would be so adorable! Okay, now, I'm brainstorming...now, I'm getting ideas...and now I want to write it...XD**

 **ParagonNight666: Aww, thank you! :D But I would be nowhere without my encouraging followers and reviewers to cheer me on! *everyone gets Golden Globe* WHOOOO! :D**

 **neobendium: Oohhh, hahahahahahaha, wow! :D That is pretty cool! September 12th, aye? :D XD**

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: Awwwww, thank you so much! :D I'm glad you enjoy all these chapters so much! And yes, I agree, Hiccup. Don't feel bad, Hiccup! Drago deserved it! But yeah, like you said. Hiccup has a conscience. It makes him human. Drago was just this...this...in-human type freak without conscience. The opposite of Hiccup. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **HugsandBugsSmileyface: Thanks! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: I know, right? A year has gone by so fast! *shares cake with you and our dragons* Hmm, yes. :D WEDDING SCENE NEXT CHAPTER! :D**

* * *

Hiccup had strict instructions not to get up or move at all for another few weeks; four at the minimum, and after that, he still couldn't do anything strenuous that would strain his ribs for another few weeks.

So, when Astrid found Hiccup working at his desk, only two weeks after he was on the mend, she had a few choice words for him.

She crossed her arms as she stood in the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently. Hiccup lifted his head in her direction. His concussion was almost fully healed, according to Gothi, and his ribs were also healing nicely. His arm was still in a poor shape, still bound in its splint, but obviously enough, it didn't bother Hiccup. His eyes were bright, and he smiled at her.

She sighed. She couldn't stay mad at him, especially when he smiled at her like _that_. She hated and loved his smile both at once: loved it, because it was honest and sweet, and hated it, because all he had to do was smile, and she wasn't angry with him, no matter what it was.

"Hey," Hiccup said, waving briefly in her direction. His left arm was in a sling tied around his neck and shoulder, and he held a charcoal in his right hand. "What's up, Astrid?"

"You are," Astrid said. "And you're not supposed to be, either." She crossed the room, her feet creating hollow _THUMPS_ against the ground when she walked. "Do you know how late it is, Hiccup? You're still recovering, you shouldn't be up."

"I'm not up," Hiccup protested. "I'm _awake_ , and I'm _sitting_."

Astrid shook her head. Of course Hiccup would try to squeeze his way out of resting. She knew him too well. "Sure, sure," she rolled her eyes, "but you really should-"

"Hey, I'm tired of sleeping and being a useless sack of broken bones," Hiccup said, not rudely, but not entirely nicely, either. "Besides," he looked back at the papers sprawled out on the desk in front of him, "I had some ideas."

"Oh?" Astrid asked. She knew she should probably get him back to bed, but at the same time, she missed the hyper, eager to think up new inventions Hiccup. She didn't like watching Hiccup sleeping with broken ribs, a broken arm, and a concussion as much as she liked watching slightly insane Hiccup in action.

So, in the end, she pulled a stool over beside the chair Hiccup was residing and sat down. "What kind of ideas?" she asked.

"Ideas for the wedding," Hiccup answered.

Aha. Astrid should have known. Since becoming coherent enough to think for himself, Hiccup hadn't stopped blabbing random ideas about the wedding. Most of them were the same ideas repeated, whereas sometimes, they were new schemes she'd never heard of before.

"I was thinking," Hiccup said, "that we could get the twins to decorate the Great Hall, and maybe Snotlout to help them. Or, if you wanted, we could actually take the wedding to Raven Point…" Hiccup paused and tapped his chin with the charcoal. "Then again, it will be around Snoggletog, so I suppose it might be too cold…?"

"Hiccup, no matter what we decide to do, I'm sure it'll be great," Astrid said. She put her hand on his shoulder and looked at the writing on the paper sprawled out on the desk before her betrothed. As soon as she saw the runes, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, Hiccup," she said, shaking he head and shutting her eyes. He was left-handed, of course. He used his right hand sometimes, when he wielded Inferno or fought during training years ago, but he was dominant left hand. He couldn't write with his right hand.

And yet, looking at the runes on the paper, Astrid could tell that he had tried really hard to use his right hand to write and draw down ihs ideas. He was so sweet, really, he was, in a crazy, Hiccup-y way.

"You're trying to use your right hand," Astrid said.

Hiccup's confused face faded, if slightly, and he shrugged. "Well, yeah," he said simply, turning back towards the paper and fingering the corner of one of the pages. "My left hand isn't exactly...well…" He glanced at his arm in the sling and sighed. "You know. It kind of goes without saying."

Astrid nodded. She understood. "Still, though, Hiccup," she said, "your writing's messy. Here, give me the charcoal." Hiccup handed it over to her without so much as a second thought, and Astrid took to re-writing what he had managed to scribble out on new sheets of paper.

"Gobber could wed us, I was thinking," Hiccup said with a small shrug as Astrid continued trying to make sense of Hiccup's scribbles and drawings. "Gothi would have to, you know, approve of it and everything, but I don't think she'd have a problem with it, do you?"

Astrid thought for a moment, tapped the charcoal against her chin, and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Sounds great, just so long as Gobber doesn't mess up on anything. That would be...well-"

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded. "Embarrassing." He looked over at Astrid's handwriting. "Thanks," he said. "It was getting to the point where I couldn't even read my own writing."

Astrid smiled and nodded. She'd had a hard time reading Hiccup's writing, too, after all. "Yeah," she said. "So, it would probably be best if we had the wedding indoors, probably at the Great Hall," she offered. "Just in case it _is_ cold, or snowing."

Hiccup nodded. He took the charcoal from her hand and pointed it at her. "You, milady," he said, "are a genius."

"Not really," Astrid shrugged. "It was your first initial idea, too, Hiccup-"

Hiccup wasn't listening. He turned back towards the paper and tapped his pencil against the table. "We could write our own vows," he said, "if we want to."

Astrid had wanted to write her own vows to begin with, and she'd a feeling that Hiccup would want to do the same. It felt more special, writing her own vows, rather than have someone else write them for her. Besides, Hiccup was worth it. Even if it took her from now until the night before the wedding, it would be worth it for Hiccup.

"Yes, I would like to," Astrid began. She was about to continue, when Hiccup jumped in excitedly.

"Great!" he said. "That's exactly what I wanted to do, too! So, what day should we have it? Before Snoggletog, or after Snoggletog?"

Astrid shrugged. She honestly didn't care what day the wedding was, except, having it before Snoggletog meant that it would come sooner… "Before Snoggletog," she decided, nodding fervently. "Right after the first day of winter."

"Perfect!" Hiccup agreed. He lowered his charcoal towards the paper, and then paused, looking at his right hand for a moment before he let out a huge sigh. "Help?"

Astrid smiled, rolled her eyes fondly, and took the charcoal from his hands again and wrote down the date on the papers. "So, Gobber can wed us, and we'll have it the day after winter begins," Astrid said as she continued writing on the paper. "Sound about right?"

"Sounds amazing," Hiccup agreed.

The rest of the night was spent with Hiccup and Astrid coming up with idea after idea, fawning over the ones they loved and discarding the ones they didn't like so much. It wasn't until much later (hours later), that Astrid saw Hiccup's eyes drooping and realized just how long they had been working at it. They'd filled an entire notebook worth of all the possible ideas.

Hiccup put the charcoal behind his ear and flipped through the pages. "I can't wait," he said. "It just can't come sooner…" He put his hand over his mouth, trying to conceal a yawn. Astrid knew he was tired; of course he was, and she also knew he would try to deny it, no matter how wrong he was.

"Alright, Hiccup," Astrid said, putting her hands on his shoulders. His posture was slack, his muscles relaxed. "You should get to bed now."

Just as she knew he would, he instantly started murmuring half-hearted protests. "No, wait," he said, picking a piece of paper off the desk and examining it. "I have to-"

Astrid rolled her eyes. Hiccup was sweet, yes, and he was hyper, yes, and she loved him, yes, but it would be a lot easier if he admitted when he was tired and reacted accordingly instead of trying to hide it. Astrid sighed. "Hiccup," she said. When Hiccup didn't respond, she took the paper right out of his hands and held it out of his reach.

Hiccup's reflexes must have been slow, because he waited about five seconds before he tried grabbing at the paper again, his arms just barely too short to grasp the paper. Astrid was holding it just far away enough from him. "Astrid," he whined.

Astrid wasn't fazed by his whining, though, and he had to learn that. "You can work on it tomorrow, okay?" she promised. "For now, just get to bed. I'll be over in the morning, and we can look over it to your heart's content, alright?"

Hiccup didn't protest. Instead, he stood. Astrid wanted to help him over to his bed, but he waved off her offer to help and made it himself, flopping over his bed and draping his good arm over his eyes. At least he'd gained enough strength back to get from his desk to his bed on his own.

Although it wasn't a very far trip, it was an improvement nonetheless. A few weeks ago, Hiccup could hardly sit up on his own without passing out or having to lie back again due to the pain.

"We'll work on it again tomorrow?" Hiccup asked. Even though Astrid could tell in a heartbeat he was exhausted, she heard the pleading, childishness of his voice and sighed, a smile crossing over her face and making any creases of anger or irritation or even annoyance to smooth out as if they had never even existed.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said. "We'll finish making the plans tomorrow, except, I don't think there's much left to plan." She looked at the large stack of filled papers on the desk and then turned back to Hiccup. "I'd be surprised if we didn't write down every aspect in five different ways _twice_."

Hiccup laughed. "You're probably right," he said. Astrid grabbed the hem of the blanket and pulled it over his body; Hiccup sighed. "Thanks," he said. "You know, for everything. It...it means a lot to me."

Astrid knew it meant a lot to him before he even said it. The relief in his eyes was enough. "You're welcome, Hiccup," she said. "And thank you, too, for letting me help you."

Hiccup smiled.

Astrid smiled back.

* * *

 ***wedding bells***

 **AND THE WEDDING SHALT TAKEST PLACE IN THE NEXTEST CHAP...TER...um...EST. *clears throat* Sorry 'bout the awkwardness there, guys. :)**

 **And, I believe the official release date for the next 13 Race to the Edge episodes is** _ **December 16th**_ **. I don't know if it's accurate, but it's what I've been hearing for a while now from different sources, so, yeah. :) Someone correct me if I'm wrong! :D  
**

 **See you guys next chapter (which will be posted in October, or quite possibly in this month if you guys are lucky. :D). See you then! :D BYYYYEEEEE! :D**


	37. Chapter 37

**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! :D CONSIDER YOURSELVES LUCKY, FOR I HAVE GONE AHEAD AND WRITTEN THE WEDDING SCENE AND DECIDED TO POST IT FOR YOU GUYS EARLY! BECAUSE OCTOBER IS SO FAR AWAY, AND SINCE I FINISHED IT, JUST, WHY NOT!? :D My final author note for this story will be found at the bottom of the page. *points* Where I thank everyone. But, until then, shout-outs! :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: There might be some Heathet here…;) HICCSTRID OVERLOAD! GET DOWN! XD**

 **Lightclaw's Shadow: I WANT MORE HICCSTRID IN RACE TO THE EDGE! WHY CAN'T DECMBER COME SOONER, WHY!? :D**

 **Drew Luczynski: I should write a little one-shot or an extra chapter with this that has to do with Hiccup and Astrid's kid. That, would be pretty sweet, actually. :)**

 **HappyPup1: Whoa! Don't hurt me! *runs***

 **LunarCatNinja: Thanks! I'm glad! :D**

 **Letstellstorys014: Hahahaha, thanks so much! I'm glad you like how I portrayed Valka, and I'm glad you're looking forward to the wedding! :D Like you said: So much fluff, it could be made into a teddy bear. I like that! :D**

 **IonitaMircea32: That's kind of a tricky question to answer...well, in Race to the Edge (Gone Gustav Gone, specifically), we saw a big scene full of Hiccup glaring at Dagur. It's obvious that Hiccup hates Dagur, even though I don't think he would actually say it out loud. If Dagur were to capture Astrid or Toothless and come close to killing either one of them, I think Hiccup would definitely react violently. I'm not so sure he'd kill Dagur, but at the same time...he might. It's really hard to say. :) I am hoping for an episode where Astrid does get captured by Dagur, and Hiccup and Dagur have a really, really, really epic battle scene. That would be awesome! :D**

 **silverwolvesarecool: WEDDING! :D**

 **clank2662: HOORAH! :D**

 **ParagonNight666: I'm glad you liked the chapter so much! :D And I'm glad you like this story! :) Well, you may not think you deserve a Golden Globe, but regardless, I think you do, so here! *hands Golden Globe to you* And no take backs! :D**

 **neobendium: That would be funny, although I'm not sure I'll do it in this particular story. But would you mind if I saved the idea and used it for a future story, possibly? :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: I know, right? It's like...wow. This time last year I was still posting the "How Not To" series and fangirling so hard whenever I got a review. Seriously, when I first started fanfiction, every time I got a review or a new follower, I went around telling everyone. XD *buys more cake when we run out***

 **Twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: HICCSTRID WEDDING! EEEEEEEEKKKKKK! :D I'm not amazing! YOU'RE amazing! :D Thanks for the review, and you're welcome for the shout-out! It's just me saying "THANK YOU FOR BEING AWESOME!" :D :D :D**

 **LiviLovesDragons: I AM NOT GOING TO MAKE IT, EITHER! WHY CAN'T DECEMBER 16TH GET HERE SOONER! WHY!? *bangs head against keyboard repeatedly* ASDHGEHJ. ASGHJDSGHJDE. ASGHJEIFNJKSND. KJDHJFHEBSD. HJKEHRBDMSBDSM. XD I have actually written a few fanfictions where Hiccup dies...just not too many. If you want me to write another one, I will. Because I am evil. :D**

 **nightfury123: Sweet! Lefties are awesome! :D I'm not lefthanded, but for some reason, my left hand is my stronger hand. I can't write with it to save my life, but I do a lot of other things with it. I'm weird, probably. :) I have a lot of lefthanded friends, too. :D YAY, RELEASE DATE! :D**

 **thearizona: Yeah. Poor Hiccup. He's such a dorky idiot but we love him. :D Sometimes, I wonder how authors would describe me in a book if they were writing about me. They would probably say something like, "And then there's this moron…" XD Yep, you got those mind wheels turning! THERE IS NO ESCAPE! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Eeveecat1248: Aha! Old English, thanks! :D Old English is not my biggest strength. :D**

 **MessyBessyJackySassy: Aww, thanks! :D Yeah, Hiccup's so adorable when he's hyper. :)**

 **Iris Patton: You're welcome! :D Thanks! :D**

 **LissanFuryEye: OH YEAH! *fist pumps***

* * *

Heather fiddled with the hem of her dress nervously. She wasn't used to wearing formal clothes, but she supposed it was a special occasion. Instead of wearing her usual black shirt and metal plated skirt, she was wearing a black and silver short dress with the top part of the dress black and the skirt part of the dress silver, so it matched her dragon's scales with almost too much perfection. Her hair wasn't braided, as it usually was. Instead, it was let down, reaching the mid point of her back, wavy due to the braid she constantly kept her hair woven in. She had a black rose tucked behind her ear.

The Great Hall had been rearranged to fit the occasion. Over the past few weeks leading up to this day, Snotlout, the twins, and some of the other Berkians (and even some of the Berserkers) had worked on moving the tables against the walls and setting rows of benches in their places, leaving a wide aisle between the rows. l

Gobber stood at the very very front of the hall with Gothi standing beside him. Out of all the people on Berk, it didn't surprise Heather that Hiccup and Astrid had chosen Gobber.

It only made sense that they would.

The Berserkers had returned to Berk, just for the occasion, and really, it was at Heather's wish that they did. Heather wasn't going to miss this day for the world.

Heather sat at the bench in the very front of the hall with Snotlout sitting beside her and Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut sitting further down the bench. The twins were chatting, as were the other Berkians and Berserkers in the Great Hall. Heather glanced over her shoulder; all the benches were filled with villagers, young and old, of all ages. They were all talking in hushed tones, some louder than others, about things Heather couldn't make out from her position.

Across from her, Fishlegs sniffed. "Oh, this is going to be _amazing_ ," he breathed excitedly. Heather leaned over to look at him, her eyes laced with confusion. Fishlegs met her gaze. "I have to say," Fishlegs said, "I never thought this day would actually come!"

He sounded so dramatic. Heather wouldn't have been surprised if he started crying sometime soon.

Snotlout elbowed Fishlegs. "You'd better not cry on me, Fishface," he said. "And how could you _not_ have seen this day coming?"

"Hey, Snotlout," Heather elbowed her cousin playfully, smiling teasingly. "Just wait until it starts. We'll see who's crying then."

Snotlout elbowed her back; elbowing seemed to run in the family, Heather noted with a small smile to herself. "Don't start, Heather," Snotlout said.

Heather simply shrugged in response. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she said.

"We're not going to cry," Tuffnut and Ruffnut said in unison as they leaned forward to look at Heather. They were sitting at the very end of the bench, farther away from Heather than anyone. "We made a promise. A Thorston promise."

It was so amazingly scary, watching the twins speak in unison like that as though they could read each other's minds. Heather used to think it was because they were twins, but now, she knew it was just because they were creepy.

Heather shook her head. The twins rarely kept their promises, no matter what they were. Heather opened her mouth to say just that, when suddenly, the hall grew quiet, all in one instant. In the corner of the Great Hall, three fiddlers took up their instruments and began playing a soft, soothing melody in three-part harmony. The tune floated through the hall so that all present could hear it with clarity.

The doors of the hall were opened, and Valka and Hiccup walked through. All heads whipped around in that direction, including Heather's.

Hiccup was wearing his usual apparel, only his leather armor was polished, and there was a red, hood-less cloak draped over his shoulders. His hair was still untamed, as it usually was, except, it looked as though someone had at least tried to smooth it out. On his forehead in black ink was a mark Heather recognized: an upside down semi circle with a smaller, right side up semi circle inside it. A line was drawn through them both.

The mark of the Chief.

It only made sense.

It _was_ the Chief's wedding, after all.

Valka stood at his side and walked beside him, her hand on his forearm. Heather couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow hit her when she saw the empty place on Hiccup's right.

Stoick should have been there, leading his son forth with Valka. Heather couldn't help but think about her and Hiccup's deceased father for another moment. _He would be so proud of you, Hiccup,_ she thought, as if Hiccup could hear her.

Once they reached the front of the hall, Valka laid her hand on Hiccup's shoulder, smiled reassuringly, Hiccup smiled back, and then, Valka moved to sit down at the front bench, across the aisle from Heather's bench.

Next, came the ringbearer; a young boy, carrying the rings in a small, wooden box without a lid. Behind the boy walked Gustav Larson, who was guiding the younger boy down the aisles and towards the front of the hall.

Heather knew that at one point, Gustav had liked Astrid, but it was only temporary, and for that, Heather was thankful. Astrid was, too. Heather remembered her telling her at one point that Gustav drove her up the wall and made her want to pull her hair out.

Heather didn't blame her for feeling that way.

Gustav and the boy stood across from Gobber and Gothi, their heads lifted towards the rest of the villagers.

Next, through the doors, walked the flower girls; two of them to be exact, young girls, much younger than Gustav. They wore matching blue dresses and carried baskets of flower petals. They sprinkled the flower petals onto the ground in front of them as they walked down the aisles.

Lastly, but definitely not leastly, came the bride.

Everyone in the Great Hall stood and craned their necks towards the door. The shorter Berkians and Berserkers stood on the benches in an attempt to see better. Heather leaned over and looked towards the door.

There was Astrid, standing beside her uncle, Finn, her hand on his forearm as he led her down the aisle. Heather couldn't help but gape. She had always considered Astrid a very beautiful girl with her sapphire blue eyes and blonde hair.

But now, she looked even more beautiful than usual. She looked absolutely breathtaking.

She was wearing a long, blue dress that trailed the ground, and it was the most beautiful dress Heather had ever seen. White laced with the blue, and a veil made from blue, see-through fabric. Her headband had blue beads sewn into it, and her blonde, wavy hair was let out of its braid, most of it down the length of her back while some of it draped over her shoulders.

Her blue eyes were bright, and her lips were curved upwards into a beautiful, honest smile that displayed her joy and happiness openly, in ways Heather didn't even know how to fully describe.

She looked like someone out of a dream, and even that was the biggest underestimate in the world.

Astrid and her uncle continued forward, towards the front of the hall. Heather heard a sniff, and she looked to the side. Snotlout, to her surprise, was the one who had sniffed, and he wiped his eyes.

Heather tilted her head at him in confusion. "Snotlout," she whispered. "Are you actually... _crying?"_

Snotlout jerked his head up in her direction and shook it back and forth angrily. "No," he said in a harsh whisper. "It's...it's this thing that...that...it's a tick. A tick I get when I'm...I'm...um-"

"Happy?" Heather offered, only because she knew that was the truth. Snotlout would never admit it, of course, but he was happy for Hiccup, and he was happy for Astrid. She knew he wasn't jealous of Hiccup; if anything, he was happy for his cousin.

"Hey," Heather shrugged, "you know, Snotlout, it's okay."

She smiled, and after a moment, Snotlout smiled shyly back.

Astrid and her uncle continued towards the front of the hall, and as soon as they made it, Astrid stepped to stand across from Hiccup. Finn stepped back to the side and moved to sit beside Valka in the front, watching his niece while Valka watched her son and her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

Heather smiled. _If only Dad were here to see this_ , she thought.

Hiccup and Astrid took each other's hands, and Heather looked at her brother's face. His eyes were bright, his smile reaching his eyes. The kind, honest, beautiful smile he only wore when he saw Astrid. Heather couldn't help but smile right along with her brother.

 _He really loves her, doesn't he._

She didn't need the clarification. She knew for years now that her brother loved Astrid, and she knew Astrid loved him back just as much. Hiccup was willing to give his life for Astrid when he shoved her clear of the ice spike, and Astrid hardly ever left his side during his entire recovery.

Slowly, the music quieted and quieted until the hall fell silent. Gobber cleared his throat quietly, and then, he began to speak.

"Fellow Berkians, and Berserkers," Gobber said; his voice was loud and echoed throughout the Great Hall. "We have joined here today, to share with Hiccup and Astrid, an important moment in their lives. In their time together, they have seen their love and understanding of each other grow and blossom, and now, they have decided to live out the rest of their lives as one."

The villagers in the Great Hall clapped; Heather's smile only grew the more the Berkians and Berkians put their hands together. Once they had quieted again, Gobber continued.

"If any person can show just cause why they should not be joined together," Gobber continued, "let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

It came as no surprise that no one said a word.

"Alright," Gobber went on further. "Who gives this woman to be wed?"

Astrid's uncle nodded. "I do," he said.

Heather smiled. That came as no surprise, either. Heather knew that Astrid's uncle supported his niece's and Hiccup's marriage. Gobber really didn't even need to ask it; the Berkians and Berserkers all supported Hiccup and Astrid.

"Hiccup and Astrid have written their own vows for each other," Gobber said. He nodded at Hiccup, took a small step backwards, and then, Hiccup spoke.

"I, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," he said, "take you, Astrid Hofferson, to be my wife, my partner in life, and my one, true love. I will cherish our union, and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you, and respect you. I will laugh with you and cry with you, and love you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward, for as long as we both shall live."

His vow sent a small, quiet, "Aww" through the rest of the Great Hall, and Heather couldn't help but grin. Heck, she even joined in. She looked over at Snotlout, who was trying to keep his manliness about him.

Astrid smiled back at Hiccup and took a breath. "I, Astrid Hofferson," she began, "take you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, to be my husband, my friend, my faithful partner and my love, from this day forward. In the presence of our family and friends, I offer you my vow to be your faithful partner, in sickness and in health, in good times, and in bad, and in joy as well as sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to cherish you, to cry with you, and laugh with you. Even when your jokes aren't funny."

A chuckle ran throughout the villagers. Hiccup laughed and shook his head, as did Astrid.

"For as long as we both shall live," Astrid finished.

Gobber nodded and gestured to the ringbearer. The young boy stepped forward, and Hiccup took Astrid's ring from the box he held.

It was a beautiful ring; Heather could tell in a heartbeat that Hiccup made it himself. The ring was made up of three rings of metal woven together like a braid. One of the three cords of metal was blue.

Hiccup took Astrid's left hand in his own and held the ring in his other hand. "With this hand," he began, "I will lift your sorrows. I will guide you, and protect you, and love you forever, for so long as I live. With this ring, I give my love and commitment to you." He slipped the ring onto her finger.

Heather watched with anticipation as Astrid, smiling from ear to ear, reached into the box and took out the second ring. It was forged in the same fashion as her own, only instead of blue, the third metal band was green.

She took Hiccup's left hand. "And with this hand," she said, "I will lift your sorrows. I will support you, and follow you, and help you, and love you forever, so long as I live. With this ring, I give my love and commitment to you."

She slipped the ring onto his finger as well.

Heather wanted to clap and cheer. She was so happy for her brother, and she was happy for her friend, too. This was truly amazing. She couldn't wait to congratulate them both, again, even though she had done it many times in the past before the wedding.

Gobber stepped forward again. "Well, then," he said. "By the power vested in me, and in approval with our elder," he nodded towards Gothi briefly, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Hiccup lifted Astrid's veil, leaned in towards her, and their lips met.

The surrounding villagers practically exploded into cheers. Snotlout, the twins, Fishlegs, and everyone else in the hall sprang to their feet, clapping and whooping for the newly wedded couple. The cheering didn't stop, either. It just went on, and on, and on, and no one grew tired of clapping in joy.

Especially not Heather.

When Hiccup and Astrid pulled away, Hiccup slowly reached his hands towards her head, and he pulled off her headband. Heather knew what it meant: the headband was a symbol of Astrid's youth. Since she was married now, she had no need for it.

Hiccup gave Astrid the headband, and Astrid turned towards the crowd of still cheering villagers. Without warning, she flung the headband towards them and watched in amusement as Ruffnut and Tuffnut fought to grab it before anyone else did.

Heather laughed.

…

The Great Hall was filled with dancing Berkians and Berserkers. The fiddlers played a fast-paced tune that the villagers were dancing to. Torches lined the walls, giving light to the entire hall.

Heather stood on the sidelines, clapping to the beat of the music while other Berserkers and Berkians who didn't dance stood off to the side along with her, clapping and stomping their feet as she was. Heather was never one to dance very much, ever. She danced once, when she and the Berserkers came to renew the peace treaty between the Berkians over Snoggletog one year, but that was it.

Besides, she enjoyed watching her brother and sister-in-law dance just as much as dancing herself. Hiccup and Astrid, although neither of them were experienced dancers, danced with each other to the melody of the fiddlers. Other villagers danced with their partners, except the only two Heather was watching was the newly wedded couple.

She had never seen Hiccup or Astrid look so happy before in her entire life before. It was amazing to watch her brother and his wife so happy, especially after everything they went through the past months, between Drago's death, Stoick's death, the battle between Drago's men, the Berkians, the Berserkers, and the dragons, and not to mention when Hiccup was wounded.

It was beautiful to watch Hiccup and Astrid be happy with each other, finally.

While she had been lost in thought, she hadn't noticed Fishlegs approaching until the boy stood directly in front of her. "Hello, Heather," he said. He offered her his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Heather opened her mouth to answer, when, to her surprise, Tuffnut butted in. "Oh no you don't," he said, shoving Fishlegs out of the way. He held his hand out to Heather. "May _I_ have this dance?" he asked.

Heather opened her mouth, yet again, when Fishlegs bumped Tuffnut out of the way again. In anger, Tuffnut shoved Fishlegs, and while they slowly moved unintentionally farther and farther away from Heather, Eret stepped forward.

"Evening, Lady Heather," he said. He bowed, straightened his posture again, and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Heather laughed and took his hand. "Sure," she said. "Why not."

Eret smiled, and the two moved to the dance floor.

 _This, is Berk._

Heather laughed. She hadn't had this much fun in a while. She had actually forgotten how fun dancing actually was, especially to a fast paced tune such as this. What she liked most about the Berkians was that they didn't care if you were a good dancer, a bad dancer, or a great dancer. As long as you were yourself, anything went.

 _A bit trampled, busted, and covered ice, but it's home._

Fishlegs and Tuffnut must have gotten over their argument, because as Eret spun Heather, Fishlegs jumped in, grabbed Heather's hand, and pulled her away from Eret to dance with him instead. Heather laughed.

 _It's our home._

Fishlegs spun Heather, and Tuffnut took Heather's hand and danced with her instead. Heather couldn't help but smile. She knew Tuffnut didn't like her; rather, Tuffnut was trying to make Fishlegs and Eret irritated. Heather didn't know why, but either way, Tuffnut was succeeding in his attempts.

 _Those who attacked us were relentless, and crazy._

Heather looked over to the side at her brother and Astrid. Hiccup spun Astrid; her dress fluttered around her legs. Heather smiled even bigger. Eret yanked her hand and pulled her away from Tuffnut.

 _But those who stopped them, oh, even more so!_

Astrid laughed happily, and Hiccup did the same right along with her.

 _We may be small in numbers, but we stand for something bigger than anything the world can pit against us._

Tuffnut tried to get Heather away from Eret again, and in response, Eret simply kicked Tuffnut, except, he did it with such elegance that he made it look like a dance move. Heather laughed, and Eret smiled back.

 _We are the voice of peace, and bit by bit, we will change this world. You see, we have something they don't._

Heather looked over; Fishlegs had given up, and was dancing with Ruffnut (much to Ruffnut's dismay) with Snotlout trying to steal her from him. Tuffnut was standing in the background, dancing by himself with an imaginary partner.

 _Oh, sure, they have armies, and they have armadas, but we...we have…_

Eret spun Heather, and across from them, Hiccup spun Astrid.

 _OUR DRAGONS!_

The song came to an end, and the villagers cheered.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **IT.**

 **IS.**

 **FINISHED.**

 **OHMYGOSH THIS STORY IS FINISHED GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS I CANNOT BELIEVE IT IS FINISHED I AM SITTING HERE KINDA IN SHOCK RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT'S FINISHED!**

 **I'm going to miss writing this fanfiction, really, I am, but I'm thinking, when more Race to the Edge episodes come out, maybe I'll write a series of one-shots about what happened between "I'm Your Brother!" and this fanfiction. What do you guys think? Thoughts? Comments? Let me know what you think! :D**

 **And I just have to say thank you all soooooooo much! Your support has really made this story what it is, and I never would have completed it if it hadn't been for you guys along the way. So...thank you for that! :D**

 **I just have to say, that although I did try to do research on Viking weddings and traditions, the only thing I found through research was the thing about Astrid's headband being a symbol of her youth (If DreamWorks DOES to a Hiccstrid wedding, I want there to be something on that. :D) and that the wedding receptions normally last three or more days. So, wikia was not much help. Oh well. :) I had another user here help me out (ParagonNight666), so big shout-out to them. :) THANKS A BUNCH, PARAGONNIGHT666! :D**

 **AND THANKS TO ALL YOU AWESOME PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO SUPPORTED THIS STORY, READ THIS STORY, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THIS STORY AND WHATEVER ELSE I DO! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU GUYS A LOT! :D**

 **Until next story! :D**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	38. Chapter 38

**SOOOOOOO GUYS THIS IS A CHAPTER ENTIRELY IN TOOTHLESS' POV TAKING PLACE JUST AFTER CHAPTER 30, SO HICCUP IS STILL IMMOBILE. :) See the ending author's notes for more info on WHY I did this...I know a lot of you were asking for something in Toothless' POV and I BLEW IT on writing something in Toothless' POV amidst all the mother/son Hiccup/Astrid brother/sister drama, and I AM SO SORRY. I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS CHAPTER! :D :D :D Love ya! Enjoy chapter 31a! XD**

* * *

Toothless was busy.

As the new Alpha dragon, he had a lot of responsibilities. The first order of business was, of course, disposing of those hideous spikes of ice that littered the island from the previous Alpha's frosty breath. The second order of business was trying to find a safe place for all the newly arrived dragons to stay, and the third and most important order of business was to keep the dragons from fighting over their territory. That was the most important and yet one of the hardest things to accomplish, but somehow, Toothless managed it.

Yes, Toothless was busy. To say that he was simply "busy" was a terrible underestimate. He was tired of dealing with the dragons' problems; he was tired of dealing with the other _dragons_ , period. He was tired of being looked to as a leader when he had never been in such a position before. Yes, he wore the badge of the Alpha well, but that didn't mean it was an _easy_ burden to bear, because it wasn't, even slightly, _easy_.

It was, in fact, the hardest thing the dragon had ever faced before in his life. Harder than learning how to use his prosthetic tailfin; harder than fighting the Red Death, harder than anything he had ever done before.

And there was a reason it was harder, too.

Because now, he was doing it alone.

Maybe that was why the first order of business was disposing of the ice spikes; maybe that was why Toothless blasted the majority of them into the open ocean, never to be seen again. The ice must _die_ ; the ice must go, because Toothless hated it; he hated the ice, he hated the previous Alpha, he hated Drago Bludvist (thank goodness he was dead), and he hated anything that kept him from his rider, the one who was more of a brother to him than the entire rest of dragon kind, though he wasn't a dragon at all…

Toothless was alone, dealing with the responsibilities of the Alpha on his own, without help, without peace of mind, without Hiccup…

Hiccup wasn't dead, Toothless reminded himself as he turned a spike of ice to splinters with a blast of plasma. No, he wasn't dead, well, not yet, anyways, but Toothless honestly wasn't reassured. He didn't _want_ to be taking care of the dragons, who were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. He _wanted_ to be taking care of his brother. He couldn't have cared _less_ if not all the ice was splintered, if the dragons weren't all happy.

He hadn't seen Hiccup in days.

From what he gathered, Astrid, Valka, and Heather spent most their time with him, and thank goodness for that, because Toothless trusted the three of them with every fiber of his being, but at the same time, he wanted to be with Hiccup. He wanted to make sure the boy was alright.

The ice...it had been so horrible...it all happened so suddenly, no one had time to react, not even Toothless, with his impossibly fast reflexes and plasma blasts, not even Heather or Windshear, the unbeatable team that they were...not even Hiccup could save himself the same way he had saved Astrid…

 _BOOM_.

A giant spike of ice exploded from the force of Toothless' plasma blast and rained down over him and a nearby Nadder, who quickly spread its wings and soared to higher ground, flanked by a Gronckle and a Rainwing. Most of the ice had already been cleared. Toothless was finishing up, and the dragons around him knew better than to get in his way.

If ever a dragon were angry or hurt, it was now, in the form of a sleek, jet-black Night Fury, the most dangerous and respected dragon of the entire archipelago, newly appointed Alpha over all dragons, firing purple bursts of plasma at the remaining spears of ice in resounding fury.

It was really no wonder the other dragons were keeping their distances.

One more blast was all it took, and the last of the ice shattered like glass and hailed down on the ground in front of the dragon. Toothless straightened up, panting. The dragons looked down at him curiously.

Toothless wished they wouldn't.

When he finally realized there was no more ice for him to destroy, he perked up for the first time in days. He looked around. The dragons weren't fighting. They all had a place to go where they would be safe. There wasn't any more ice to dispose of.

Which meant there wasn't anything left for there to be done.

Which meant…

YES.

He turned and bolted, red and black tailfins dragging the ground in his wake. The dragons watched him go and returned to their chatting and claw-sharpening; Toothless couldn't have cared less what they were doing. They could have been swallowing each other whole and Toothless wouldn't have done more than roar at them to stop.

He leapt across the street and tore up the hill leading to the house he had so longed to reach.

He could see Hiccup now…

At the last moment, just before he reached his destination, he skidded to a stop, barely avoiding crashing into Valka, who just walked out the door. Toothless watched her curiously; as far as he knew, she hadn't left Hiccup's side _yet_. Was something wrong? Oh, dragonscales, if something was wrong…

"Oh, there you are," said Valka shortly, offering Toothless a small, tired smile; the kind of smile presented by someone who was trying almost painfully hard to hold back their tears. "Funny you should show up, Hiccup was wondering where you were…"

This almost made Toothless barrel past Valka and storm into the house. _Of course_ Hiccup was wondering where he was. Toothless was a bit shocked with himself, in honestly. Why had he stayed away from his rider so long? Why hadn't he dealt with the dragons and the ice and the blasting later?

Maybe he was too angry with the Alpha to face his rider...or maybe he was too afraid of what the Alpha's spike of ice had done to his rider…

"Astrid and Heather left to get some rest," said Valka, glancing over her shoulder. "I was hoping to find you. Would you mind staying with Hiccup for a bit? He's asking for you..."

As if that wasn't what Toothless already planned to do, anyways. He licked Valka's hand in agreement, and Valka smiled sadly again. The resemblance between her and Hiccup was almost frightening; when she smiled, Toothless could only think of Hiccup, and nothing else.

"Thank you, Toothless," said Valka, and she sounded relieved. "I'll be downstairs if something happens." She opened the door, and Toothless raced inside so quickly he nearly broke the door frame. He charged up the stairs to the loft, leapt the last five steps, like he always did-

And stopped.

The smell hit him like a brick wall, like a giant siren in his head screaming "WAIT!" It smelled like heat and sick, and there was fear mingled with that, and pain, and confusion, and underneath all that...Hiccup.

Toothless approached the bedside slowly, his footsteps making the floorboards beneath him groan, and he winced. The creaking sounded so loud in this otherwise silent room.

Otherwise silent, if it hadn't been for Hiccup's ragged breathing. Even after the fight against the Red Death in which Hiccup had lost his leg, he hadn't breathed this unevenly. Toothless remembered overhearing the healer saying something about broken ribs...yes, it definitely showed. Breathing sounded painful.

And it wasn't just in sound, either. Toothless sat down directly beside the bed and stared into Hiccup's face. Though he appeared to be sleeping, he was grimacing. His cheeks were flushed an unhealthy red, like the color of Toothless' prosthetic tailfin, but the rest of his face was pale as though dusted by flour. Toothless could smell the heat and the sweat; the boy clearly had a fever.

Toothless was worried. Out of everyone on Berk, Hiccup was the most prone to illness, as he was, of course, born a "runt", a "hiccup", never thought to even survive his first winter, much less the rest of his life, but he got over any malady surprisingly quickly. He was like a spring, in Toothless' opinion. A very resilient, persistent spring.

But now... _now_ …

Toothless growled lowly and licked Hiccup's cheek. His face was hot. He was definitely sick, there was no doubt about it, and he was in pain, obviously. His arm was in a sling. One or more of his ribs were either cracked or broken (hopefully cracked, but Toothless couldn't have been certain).

He didn't know what reaction he was expecting the lick to garner, but Hiccup opened his eyes. Toothless almost reeled back. Never before had his rider's normally bright green eyes looked so bloodshot, or glassy, or...dare he think it... _lifeless_.

But despite everything, Hiccup _smiled_. He smiled in that goofy, lopsided way of his, and though he did it tiredly, more tiredly than Valka had, it still looked so real, so full of genuine joy. It wasn't a smile to reassure anyone. It wasn't an act. Hiccup wasn't trying to boost Toothless' mood by smiling at him in reassurance.

He was smiling from his heart, which, of course, made Toothless both thrilled and torn apart both at once.

"Hey...buddy," Hiccup rasped, raising his hand; Toothless ducked his head to meet it, almost like he had done the day Hiccup trained him, the day their friendship began, what was so long ago, and yet felt so recent, as though it had happened yesterday. "Where've you been?"

It didn't matter where he _had_ been, because he was here _now_ , and that was all that mattered. He plunked down on the floor and rested his head on the edge of the bed, Hiccup's hand still resting against his scales.

"I missed you."

Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's side gently in response, in a silent way of saying, _I missed you too._ He felt so horrible, because Hiccup sounded so tired, as if just talking was enough to deprive him of energy. Hiccup ran his hand back and forth along Toothless' head, like he always did. It was like clockwork: when Hiccup was distressed, Toothless nudged his hand, and when Toothless was worried, Hiccup stroked his head.

Their bond was so tight it was almost as though they could sense each other's need for reassurance...

"You...doing okay, bud?"

Toothless cooed and shook his head. No, he wasn't okay. As long as Hiccup was sick or hurt, the dragon wouldn't be okay.

"Yeah...me neither. But...I'm glad you came...and Astrid, Heather, Mom...they've been taking care of me..."

Good. Toothless would've roasted them if they hadn't been.

Hiccup sighed heavily and shut his eyes. Toothless watched him like a hawk, listening, in case he was going to say something else. When he didn't, Toothless nudged him; he didn't like seeing Hiccup vulnerable, and he looked most vulnerable when he slept.

"I'm awake, bud," Hiccup murmured tiredly, though his eyes still remained closed. "Yeah...just...resting…"

Toothless rested his head back on the edge of the bed, though he wished there was more he could do to help his brother. He should have been here sooner, he shouldn't have left Hiccup alone, what was he _thinking?_

Hiccup turned his head and coughed; Toothless jerked up again instantly to investigate. Hiccup turned to him again, eyes open.

"Sorry," he said. "You're...probably tired, too...right?"

Toothless shook his head. Yes, he was tired, but that didn't matter right now; all that mattered was Hiccup. That was all Toothless cared about.

Hiccup sighed again, shuddering. "I'm sorry, bud. I'm just...not feeling so great…"

Toothless growled sadly. Hiccup didn't _look_ so great, either, but Toothless didn't want him to apologize. The boy hadn't done anything wrong. He'd saved Astrid's life, and Toothless knew he had no regrets...but it still hurt the Night Fury to see the boy like _this_ …

Toothless licked Hiccup's hand; his fingers were cold. Hiccup smiled weakly at his antics.

"I think I'll be alright, bud," he said. "I've got Astrid, Mom, Heather...and you...what more could you want…"

And he dropped back off to sleep.

Toothless watched him, worrying, wondering if this would be one of their last conversations, if Hiccup wouldn't recover, if the injuries and the illness would kill him…

Toothless jerked his head back as soon as he thought it.

No.

No.

No.

And again, no.

This wasn't Hiccup's deathbed; Toothless wasn't going to let it happen. He wouldn't let his rider die; he wouldn't, he _wouldn't_. Hiccup was his friend, his best friend, his brother, the most important thing to Toothless, and without him, Toothless didn't know what he would do, where he would be, if he would survive the horror of losing the person most dear to him…

This wasn't the end. It wasn't.

And even if it was, it wasn't. Their bond was strong. They would literally give their lives for each other. It wasn't going to end so easily. A falling piece of ice wasn't going to take Hiccup away from the dragon, Toothless would make _sure_ of it.

Hiccup would recover. He would get better, his injuries would mend, and he and Toothless would fly in the light of the setting sun for many days to come, like they did when they were younger, and the world seemed so bright, so new, so innocent. Everything would be back to the way it was, before Toothless was Alpha, before Hiccup grew up to become Chief.

Because in the end, they would always be just a boy and his dragon, best friends, brothers…

Until the end…

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I was re-reading my HTTYD2-AU and I realized something that you have also pointed out to me.**

 **TOOTHLESS WAS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN AND THAT BOTHERED ME A LOT I AM SO SORRY. It bothered** _ **ME**_ **, as the** _ **AUTHOR**_ **, how much more would it bother** _ **YOU**_ **, as the** _ **READERS.**_

 **I'm sorry! Here's Toothless' chapter, happening, I imagine, directly after the chapter in Valka's POV. Let me know what you think, and I'll see you all again soon! :D**

 **Cheers! :D Love you guys! :D**

 **-Beyond**


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